Inheritance
by Jadelyn Tate
Summary: First in the Heritage Trilogy: 20 years after Gruumm’s defeat, a new generation arise to face the enemies from within...COMPLETE
1. Prologue

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face the return of some old enemies…

**Author Notes:** This is the sequel to Through Her Eyes. Sorry it took me so long to get this started but school is kicking my a. I know I was going to post the Memories thingy and I will, but I had to cut a crap load of those ficlets up to make the following Prologue. I will get the ficlet thingy up but it may be a while. In the meantime, enjoy!

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**2027**

"Hey, Daddy, hey Kat." Aimee greeted her father and step-mother after opening the door to the Tate apartment. She waddled back to the couch, her 8 and half month pregnant belly making it hard for her to walk.

"Hey, Tommy, Kat." Sky greeted his father and mother in law, not looking up from the data pad he was reading. Tommy glanced at it and quirked an eyebrow as Kat helped Aimee sit back down, despite the former lunar rangers arguments.

"'Good Parenting Skills in the Kerovian System?'" he asked, bemused. Sky finally looked up, a half smile on his face.

"Commander Dante sent it as a gag gift. It's…interesting." The B Squad Red ranger informed him. Tommy chuckled.

"I know. Andros sent it to me when Aimee and JD were born." He informed him. From her perch on the couch, Aimee snickered.

"Uncle Andros sends that to everyone when they're expecting. It's like, his, baby expecting gift signature." She laughed. Tommy chuckled.

"That reminds me, Ashley says to take lots of pictures of the baby because she has to get her baby kicks from someone." Kat told her step-daughter.

"Yeah, and then we could hear what sounded suspiciously like Andros falling off his chair." Tommy added. Sky and Aimee laughed.

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**2030**

"What is going on in there!" Bridge exclaimed as another doctor rushed in through the doors holding Aimee and Sky. The other people in the waiting room shrugged. Tommy hugged Thomas Tate close to him, while his twin brother Troy was hiding in Kat's arms. Aimee had gone into labor twelve hours before, a month before she was due. Everyone was worried.

"Uh oh." Z murmured her face white. Next to her, Syd placed a hand on her own belly, grimacing. As one the two women turned to their husbands.

"Hospital. Now." Z muttered to Bridge. Bridge frowned at her, worry clearly evident in his expression.

"We're in the hospital sweetie, remember?" he reminded her. She glared at him.

"My water just broke." Syd whispered. Jack blinked.

"WHAT!" he bellowed. The nurse at the desk shot him a look.

"Sir, please be quiet—"

"What do you mean you're water just broke!" Jack demanded, ignoring the nurse. Syd looked up at him, eyes flashing.

"I mean, baby Landors wants out!" she snarled. Tommy's jaw dropped as Z nodded.

"So do these guys." She murmured. Bridge swallowed heavily a few times as Kat handed the now scared Troy to Tommy and hurried over to the two women with Isinia right behind her.

"Kat, what do we do?" Bridge babbled. Kat smiled at him and bent to help Z up.

"Help your wife, Bridge. Get her to the nurse. They'll get her ready. In a few hours you're going to be a daddy!" Isinia exclaimed happily. Bridge looked from Isinia, to Kat, to Z and then fainted.

"Nurse, my wife's pregnant!" Jack yelled, practically carrying Syd over to the desk. The nurse nodded slowly.

"Yes, sir, I can see that." She agreed. Jack glared at her.

"Well, then, do something!" he demanded. The woman, Peggy, looked at him askance.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but there's nothing to be done. You're going to be a father. How far along is she?" she asked. Jack gave her an 'are-you-stupid?' look.

"Now!" he yelled before jumping when Cruger placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Nurse, I'm afraid Sydney Landors and Z Carson have both gone into labor, more than likely because of the excitement of Aimee's labor." He explained patiently, motioning to the pink and yellow rangers. The nurse got a look of understanding and within minutes, two wheelchairs and nurses were wheeling the two rangers away.

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**2035**

It was the sound of total silence that first alerted Sky to a problem. He looked up, worry creasing his face. Aimee was at the office, working on something or other while Sky watched the kids. Normally, the apartment was filled with the laughter, and more often than not, screams of his and Aimee's six kids. Silence usually meant some impending doom.

"Troy? Thomas? Kids, where are you?" Sky called, standing from his desk. Walking from the study, he looked into the living room and found three year old Luke and two year old Leila still napping. Now worried, Sky peeked into the dining room and saw no one. Just before leaving, however, he saw what looked like a handprint on the carpet. He bent down and rubbed part of it onto his finger. Sniffing it, he realized it was cake mix. He sighed and headed to the kitchen which had been turned into a disaster area.

Sky crossed his arms and looked down at the four kids sitting in what Sky knew was the cake mix Aimee had bought with the intention of baking a cake for Boom's birthday. Seven year old Troy and Thomas, five year old Piper and four year old Paige looked up at him innocently. He did a quick survey of the counters, seeing the eggs, mixer, water, milk and what looked suspiciously like cream cheese scattered everywhere. Two chairs told him how they had reached the counter in the first place. He looked back down at them, studying the powdered faces, the eggs on the girls heads, and the innocent expressions on all four faces. He held up a finger and walked away, causing the four kids to look at each other in confusion.

Sky bounded upstairs and grabbed the digital camera. Walking back to the kitchen, the red ranger made sure the batteries were still working. They were.

Back in the kitchen, the kids hadn't moved. Without waiting for the inevitable excuses, Sky quickly snapped several pictures before the kids realized he wasn't angry and tackled him.

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**2044**

"I can't believe they're moving in tomorrow." Piper lamented as she, Alycia Landors, and Ella and Eli Carson walked into her kitchen. Ella smiled.

"I thought you couldn't wait for them to get out of your hair." She replied, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a couple bottles of peach ice tea. Piper blew air through her teeth.

"I lied, okay. You know me better than that. I mean, I'll never see them. Not unless they get homesick for mom's cooking which, you know, not going to happen anytime soon. A world class chef, mom aint." She commented. Ella, Alycia, and Eli snickered.

"I heard that." Aimee commented as she walked into the kitchen. Piper smirked.

"It's true though, you know. We' aren't going to see them a whole lot. No, wait, I won't see them whole lot. You will, of course, but no, not me. I'm not good enough for them to come home and see me, I'm just their little sister." She grumbled.

"You know, we haven't even left yet and she's already missing us." Troy grinned as he and Thomas walked in with two more boxes to add to the growing pile by the door. Piper sniffed and flounced from the room. Alycia and Ella rolled their eyes and followed their friend while Eli stayed behind.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's just not used to the idea of you being gone for so long." Eli told them. Thomas huffed.

"It's not like we're going to Austrailia or something. We're moving across town, for criminy sake." The elder Tate protest. Eli and Troy shrugged.

"Who can understand the female mind?"

* * *

**2046**

"This is going to be so much fun." Piper giggled as she carefully put the photo of her and Paige, Troy and Thomas when they tried making the cake for mom in a box. Aimee smiled.

"You do realize you're not going to be moving in for another three months, right?" she asked, placing the acceptance letter on the bed. Piper paused, looked around at the six boxes she'd bullied out of her grandfather, and grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, right. Yeah, okay." She mumbled, heaving the box into a corner. Aimee smiled wryly.

"Don't worry about it, I was the same way. And, according to your grandmother, your father had his entire room packed the week before he took the trials and was accepted." She told her daughter. Piper snickered and sat down next her mother. Aimee gently placed an arm around her shoulder.

"You did great at the trials. All three of you. Commander Cruger was very impressed. So were Sergeant Silverback and Fowl Face." Aimee told her, still unable to call the former Supreme Commander by his real name .

"Supreme Commander Cruger." She corrected the older woman. Aimee made a face.

"I don't think I'll ever get use to that," she sighed. "It seemed Cruger'd be there forever."

"Yeah, but I think Granddad will do awesome as commander." She pointed out. Aimee laughed.

"Yeah, Daddy'll never get rangering out of his system. It's part of him, whether he likes it or not." She snickered. Piper looked up at her mother.

"He got teased mercilessly by Uncle Jason, didn't he?"

"Jason kept muttering 'Orange Ranger.'" She reported. Piper giggled.

"It's going to be a lot of work, isn't it?" Piper asked suddenly. Aimee looked down, gently stroking the sixteen year old's brown hair.

"Yeah, but the rewards are totally worth it." She told her. Piper smiled.

"I'll save lives." She whispered reverently. Aimee nodded.

"It's your inheritance."


	2. Chapter 1

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/KatManx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation arise to face the enemies from within...

**Author Notes:** Altered the summery a little bit. That summery was suppose to be for the fic after this one. I don't really know why I put that summery in now...

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_2046_

_SPD Academy_

"Cadet's welcome to Space Patrol Delta! You are here because you wish to protect the world and the people who live on it. You have passed numerous physical, mental, and intelligence tests to be where you are…." As Supreme Commander Anubis Cruger droned on, Cadet Piper Tate yawned. She'd been subjected to this spiel pretty much every year since she was five and it never changed. The big blue dog spoke about commitment, purpose, responsibility, and trust. Not to mention the grueling physical and psychological demands of being a ranger. He finished by saying that at the end of the semester, half the current recruits would be gone and that at the end of the year, maybe ten of the one hundred present would be around. The ranger track was much more difficult than the officer track.

Piper wasn't worried. She was the granddaughter to Tommy Oliver, the current Commander of the Terran SPD, not to mention the daughter of the now legendary Sky and Aimee Tate. Like Ella, one of her best friends said when applying, if she couldn't hack it, who could?

Speaking of her parents…Piper quickly glanced to where the senior staff was sitting on stage and smirked. Her mother was yawning and making faces as Cruger continued his speech while her father tried, and failed, to hide a smile. Next to Aimee, Ella's mother Z was giggling into her husband Bridge's shoulder. Uncle Bridge, for his part, was attempting to look like he was absorbed in what the Supreme Commander was saying even though she knew he was bored beyond reason. The blonde next to Bridge leaned over him to say something to Z and then that was it for her Uncle as he buried his face into his hand and quietly let loose. Piper quickly glanced at her grandparents who were sitting next to her dad and giggled. Kat was working on a science data pad. Granddad was ignoring everything, including Cruger, and was playing what looked like the solitaire game she had bought him for Christmas last year.

"Thank god." Elijah Carson, Ella's twin brother muttered as Commander Cruger dismissed them for the day. Ella, Piper, and Alycia giggled.

"Cadets, please find your group. The team leaders will take you to your rooms. Parents, if you would like to stay behind for coffee and tea, we have some things we need to discuss." Piper's grandmother, Dr. Katherine Manx-Oliver told them. At her words, the cadets perked up and began looking around wildly; some fearful they would be left behind. Older cadets in uniforms were standing under various signs with the name of their groups. Already, Piper could see several first years surrounding the serious young man standing under the Green Dragon. She smiled. Her Granddad, who hadn't had a thing to do with the assignments to groups, had chuckled when he saw what group Piper'd been put in. Looking around, the short brunette finally found her two older brothers, Troy and Thomas, under the Triceratops and the Tyrannosaurus signs.

"Well, looks like we'll see you three later." Eli told the girls. They quickly hugged him and Alycia before the two sixteen year olds walked over to Troy with the Triceratops. The two girls smiled and headed over to the prominent Dragon sign. Standing in the back, the girls waited until the guy called their names.

"Christopher Broderick, Eleanora Carson…" he trailed off, looking up with surprise. Ella shyly raised a hand to indicate she was there. He blinked.

"Are you related to Lt. Commander's Carson?" he asked curiously. Ella nodded.

"They're my parents." She told him. Immediately the other cadets began whispering among themselves. The young man gave everyone a stern glance and they quieted down. Nodding respectfully to her, he continued calling names.

"Daniel Theodore, Piper…Tate?" The cadet looked thunderstruck before scanning the group. His gaze rested on Piper and she smirked at him. He raised an eyebrow, glancing at Ella beside her.

"Let me guess, you're Lt. Commander Tate and Dr. Tate's daughter." He commented. She nodded.

"And Commander Oliver is my grandfather." She mentioned off-handedly and then snickered slightly when the cadets began murmuring again. He shot her a look before resuming his count. Her lip twitched when Ella giggled next to her. The cadet, satisfied he had all his recruits, snapped the clipboard shut. Older cadets were leading their units out the doors. He waved a hand for everyone in his own to stay.

"We'll wait for the crowd to thin out." He told them. The ten sixteen-year olds nodded, some plopping on the ground. As Troy passed their group, he gave Piper a light smack on the head with his clipboard.

"Hey!" she yelped, gingerly rubbing her hair. The cadets around appeared confused.

"Meet me and Thomas in the command center later, mom wants to talk to us." The older Tate told her. Some older cadets nearby blinked. Seeing them, Troy grinned and pulled Piper close.

"What? You thought Thomas and I were the only Tate kids?" he asked mischievously. Piper squirmed out of his embrace and gave him a good glare. Laughing, Troy ruffled her hair before turning to his group of Triceratops.

"Let's go guys. The crowd's thinned out. Oh, by the way, Eddie?" he called. Piper raised an eyebrow as her team leader frowned at her brother.

"What?" he asked cautiously. Troy grinned.

"Be nice to my sister. She can, and has, kicked my ass in the past." He told him wickedly, before ushering his group out. Rolling her eyes, Piper gave her team leader, Eddie, a what-can-you-do look. He snorted and began directing his group through the door. Shrugging, she grabbed Ella and followed.

"The dorms are named in honor of the original six rangers zords; Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Mastodon, Saber tooth Tiger, Pterodactyl, and, obviously, Green Dragon. You 16 will all live in Green Dragon dorm until you become second year cadets. Then you'll be assigned a squad and will live in the squad dorms. Any questions?" he asked. The cadets shook their heads. Eddie looked down at his list then looked at Piper and Ella.

"You two are in 103. You have one other roommate, an older cadet who chose to room with you." He gave Piper a significant look and she sighed. 'Zippy. I should have known.' Zippy Oliver was the daughter of JD Oliver, her mother's twin. The girls had always been close, but Zippy, being older, had joined SPD the previous year and contact had been sporadic since. Piper shook her head and trudged after the older cadet as he led the way confidently. Some struggled to keep up with the brisk pace he kept.

"Here we are." He made a wide sweep of his arms to the door he had stopped in front of. Painted on its surface was a large green dragon. Rolling her eyes, Piper stepped forward and with a swoosh the doors parted to reveal a commons area with an entertainment center, several couches, and a foosball table. On the walls were paintings and various photographs. One picture in particular sat prominently on the far wall, above the TV. Aimee smiled, recognizing her grandfather. She glanced around and found 103, ignoring Eddie, she walked forward.

"Tate! Carson!" she turned around, frowning. He glanced down at his watch and gave them a look as the rest of the group headed for their rooms.

"Lunch is in an hour. Don't be late." He warned them. He then walked out the door. Shaking her head, Piper glanced at Ella.

"Do you think everyone is going to call us by our last names?" She asked curiously. Ella shrugged.

"I hope not. Maybe it's just him. He seems uptight." The brunette commented. Piper grinned. 'Thank god I wasn't the only one to notice.' She thought to herself.

"Bet you anything he considers the SPD handbook his bible." She remarked seriously, causing the other girl to giggle.

"Oh? So he's this generations Uncle Sky." Ella commented. Piper laughed and the two girls headed to 103.

The two girls entered their suite and looked around. The front area held the bathroom, a sink, a full-length mirror, and a small shelf holding various bottles, perfumes, and hair supplies. Two grey doors led to the two bedrooms; one had Piper and Ella on it in glittering gems, the other Zippy. The girls walked into their new room. Piper stopped, momentarily speechless. Two beds with no sheets, two nightstands, two dressers, two desks, and one closet. 'It's so militarialistic! Well, except for those.' She amended silently, eyeing the colored boxes she and Ella had packed and there siblings had moved in for them. Ella walked over to one of the beds and dropped her purse on it.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked, motioning to the bed. Piper shook her head; she preferred sleeping by the window anyway. She surveyed the containers stacked under the window. Together, the girls separated all the boxes so that Ella had all of her stuff on her side of the room. Piper glanced at her watch as the brunette began opening the containers.

"Ella? Maybe we should get cleaned up for lunch." She suggested. The other girl glanced into a mirror she had taken out and gave a little "eep!" She then rushed to the bathroom and it shut behind her with a whoosh. Piper shook her head and changed into her uniform, frowning somewhat disappointedly at the grey stripe she would be forced to wear until she became an official ranger. She walked into the front hall area and grabbed one of her cousin's brushes that had been left on the sink. She quickly brushed out her hair and then put it up into a ponytail. Looking into the mirror, she smirked.

"No fuss, no muss." She muttered just as Ella came out, dressed in her uniform. Piper smiled. Her curly hair was also up in a ponytail but she had kept several tendrils down to frame her face. Unlike her parents, Ella was somewhat high-maintance which meant Ella was either going to love living with Zippy or there'd be hell on earth come morning when they fought over the shower. She hid a sigh. 'I just know I'm going to get stuck with the cold water.'

"You ready?" Ella asked after applying a fresh coat of lip-gloss. Piper nodded and the two girls left their room. Immediately they were bombarded with twenty other sixteen-year olds, all in various states of nervousness. Piper blinked at one girl who was practically crying as she looked over a small stain on her pant's leg. Sighing, Piper motioned for Ella to get going.

"I'll meet up with you." She told her over the din. Ella nodded and headed out with a large group. Piper weaved her way through the cadets who stood around waiting for friends or new roommates, catching various snippets of conversation as she did so.

"…did you hear? We have to do crunches every morning…"

"Do you think this uniform makes me look fat?"

"Man, the Triceratops guy was a hottie…"

"…Do you think we'll have classes today?"

"I heard that the Tate family…." At this last, Piper slowed down, hoping to hear what people were saying about her family. She missed it completely and tapped the girl on the shoulder.

"What was that you said about the Tate's?" she asked casually, playing the role of gossip hound to perfection.

"I said, the Tate's are supposed to be all, like, six feet tall and all muscular, no looks whatsoever. That's why they're considered the best fighters." She reported gleefully. Piper was so shocked by the image of her parents and brothers that she nearly missed the girl with the stain walking past her glumly and completely missed another girl commenting that her father may have been tall but he was totally gorgeous.

"Hey!" she called, forgetting the gossiping cadets and grabbing the girls arm. She was smaller than Piper, reaching about to her nose. Piper smiled down at her.

"What did you spill on it?" she asked kindly. The girl sniffled.

"Juice." She mumbled. Piper winced.

"Don't you have another one?" she asked softly. The girl nodded.

"Yeah, but I'll never get the stain out." She wailed. Piper grabbed her arm again.

"Go change and bring me your uniform later. I'll get the stain out, I promise." She told her, pushing the girl towards the dorms. The girl looked at her for a few minutes before smiling through tears and rushing away. Sighing, Piper gathered all the cadets together, claiming it would be harder to get lost in a group. Once the cadet had changed and returned, they left.

Luckily, they arrived in the meeting hall right on time and they took seats. Piper saw Zippy give her a 'what-happened-to-you?' look but she shook her head and mouthed 'I'll tell you later.' Zippy nodded and elbowed Josie Joslin, one of her friends. Piper smiled as Josie saw her and waved. She looked around. There were nearly a hundred and fifty cadets sitting in the bleachers around her. She saw two or three cadets with colored strips indicating they were rangers of lower status. The girl from earlier had taken a seat next to her.

"What's your name?" she whispered. Piper smiled back at her. She was so small!

"Piper, what's yours?" she whispered back. The girl's eyes crinkled into a smile.

"Claudia Chen. I'm from Terra City." She told her. Piper blinked.

"On Mirinoi?" she asked, surprised. Claudia nodded.

"My grandfather was really happy when I got into the academy. I'm the youngest and the only one of his grandkids interested in becoming a ranger." She told her. Piper blinked again, trying to figure out why the girls name sounded so familiar. She was distracted from her musings as a loud gasp rose from the stands. Piper looked down at the stage and grinned. Her parents had told her about this even though they weren't supposed to.

The current B Squad stood in a row on stage, their armor shining in the lights. Commander Oliver walked over to the podium.

"Cadets, welcome again to Space Patrol Delta, academy of rangers. This is why you are here. In a few years, some of you may be standing on this stage, wearing the mantle of Power Ranger!" he told them, his eyes twinkling. A loud cheer went up at this and Piper's grandfather smiled as the older cadets calmed the rookies down.

"No longer do our rangers hide their identities. I would like to introduce you all to our current B-Squad. Please welcome, team leader, Cadet Ian Scott, Red Ranger! His second in commander, Cadet Troy Tate, Blue Ranger! Next, Cadet Thomas Tate, Green Ranger! Cadet Nikki Harris, Pink Ranger! Finally, our newest member of B-Squad, Cadet Trini Scott, Yellow Ranger!" he called. Piper gasped in shock at the sight of her cousin taking off the yellow ranger helmet. Trini was radiant as she looked up at the cadets and waved. Piper shot a look at Zippy and was somewhat relieved that Zippy appeared as stunned as she felt.

"Wow! Do you think that'll be us some day?" Claudia asked from her side. Piper swallowed a few times as the image of an older yellow ranger came to mind.

"Trini, you're gonna make your grandmother so proud." She whispered. Claudia stared at her, startled.

"You know the yellow ranger?" she asked giddily. Piper was vaguely aware of the other cadets around craning to look at her as she nodded.

"Yeah. She's the granddaughter of the original yellow ranger Trini Kwan, my grandfather's old teammate." Claudia looked shocked.

"She is?" she whispered, looking down at the young woman as Commander Oliver continued his speech.

"Who's your grandfather?" another cadet asked. Piper looked over, wondering if she should tell him. Before she could say anything, however, all the cadets stood up and began streaming off the bleachers. Startled, Piper glanced around for Ella as Claudia and the guy disappeared in the crowd. She finally found her with Eli, Alycia, and Zippy by the door. As she struggled to make her way through the throng, she caught sight of her Aunt Kimberly wiping tears as she, Uncle Jason, Uncle Billy, and Uncle Zack crowded around the still morphed Trini. She smiled, knowing there'd be more than enough time to congratulate the older girl later.

"Hey, did you see them?" Zippy asked once Piper made it to the quad. The five cadets glanced over at the original team, plus one.

"Come on, let's go eat. If we don't hurry, we'll never find seats." Zippy told them, waving at someone over the crowd. Piper turned around to see Kelson Boom and Jon Landors making their way over. Piper hugged the two guys, pleased to see them before turning back to Zippy.

"You guys go without me. Mom and Dad want to talk to me and the twins." She told them, having to yell over the din. Before the five could say anything, however, her father's voice floated over to them.

"Actually, we'll talk tomorrow at 1000 hours. Okay?" he told her, approaching. Sky Tate hadn't changed much in the twenty years since defeating Gruumm, though he was now a lot more laid back. He placed an arm around his daughter's shoulders, smiling at the six cadets.

"Have some fun, Pi. After tonight, you're going to be in for the work of a lifetime." He advised. She looked up at him suspiciously.

"Why do I have the feeling that I'm gonna be a walking bruise tomorrow?" She asked through narrowed eyes. He smirked.

"Cause you will be." Bridge replied as he walked over. Ella and Eli quickly hugged their dad who grinned widely. Sky scowled at his old roommate.

"You weren't supposed to tell them that." He lightly scolded him. Bridge smiled.

"Sky's right though, go and have some fun tonight. I know Z has a lot of stuff planned each night for the next month, but you're going to be loaded with homework and basic training. Oh, and if you need it, Syd has a gallon tub of Icy Hot ready in her office." He told them, before walking over to talk with one of the academic instructors. Sky smiled wryly and a few minutes later, was gone as well, going over the next days "festivities" with his father-in-law and former commander. The four new cadets looked at Kelson, Zippy, and Jon.

"Please tell me they're joking." Ella begged. Zippy raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. They're joking." She told her calmly. Seeing the twinkle in her cousin's eye, the quad groaned, causing Jon and Kelson to laugh. Ribbing each other, the seven cadets headed to the cafeteria, and from there, to their respective rooms so as to get as much stuff unpacked before the following day.

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**End Notes:** I can't tell you how much fun I had writing this and the next chapter; so many memories of my first year at college, not to mention some snippets from Orientation 2006. Lol. 

Thanks to **Enigmaforum**, **the real vampire**, and **garnetred** for the reviews. They made me happy and seeing as how I've been mucho stressed and sick this past week, this was a good thing.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within...

**Author Notes:** Sorry this is so late, I've been having issues with school. It's homecoming week and I'm on the board that pretty much runs it so I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. That, and I've had this hacking cough that won't go away. I'm thinking going to the bonfire an hour ago was a bad idea.

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**TJ: **We're here to toss your salad!

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The next morning was a whirlwind of activity as the three girls got ready for their first day of classes for the new school year. 

"Zippy! Come on, some us need the shower too ya know!" Piper yelled through the bathroom door as Ella stood in front of the mirror in her uniform, doing her makeup.

"There you go!" Zippy chirped as the door opened amid a cloud of steam. Before Piper could even begin to hurry inside, the door was shutting in her face.

"Ella!" she complained.

"Sorry! Gotta go to the bathroom!" the brunette yelled back. Piper took a deep breath, counted to ten, and then let it out. Five minutes later, Ella was out of the bathroom and Piper was finally in the very very cold shower.

"It's like home all over again." She grumbled as she got out of the bathroom. Utter silence met her. Looking at the clock, she realized she had ten minutes to get dressed and get to class. With a yelp, she rushed into her bedroom and cursed the fact she couldn't slam the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eli, Alycia, Jon, and Kelson were already at the cafeteria, eating, when Zippy and Ella rushed in to grab a quick donut and bagel. 

"Where's Piper?" Alycia asked, spearing a piece of pancake. The two girls froze.

"Oh no." Ella whispered as Zippy slowly put down her donut.

"We left her in the shower." Zippy murmured. Ella looked down at her plate sheepishly as the other four exchanged looks.

"So, what's she gonna do about breakfast?" Jon asked.

"You left her in the shower!" Alycia asked incredulously at the same time. The girls exchanged guilty looks.

"I'll bring her a donut." Ella whispered, taking off to the food line before they closed.

* * *

The moment Piper rushed into the classroom, Ella waved her over and handed her a chocolate donut she'd impressed out of the cadet doing breakfast clean-up. Piper shot her a grateful smile and slipped into the chair between Ella and Alycia. Eli was on his sister's other side. 

"I am so sorry." Ella apologized as Bridge walked into the classroom. Piper waved her away, all the stress of the morning forgotten with the gift of chocolate.

From the front of the room, Bridge smiled at Piper's blissful expression as she ate a chocolate donut. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it was a stressful first morning?" he asked the class, though his eyes never left his son, daughter, and two nieces. While the rest of the class hesitantly nodded, Piper's eyes snapped open and she and the other three shared smirks.

"There is definitely not enough hot water in the dorms." Piper told him. Bridge laughed as several of the girls voiced agreement and Eli rolled his eyes.

"I'll let Commander Oliver know of your complaint." He promised, his eyes twinkling. "But, seeing as how Z, Syd, and Aimee had the same problem twenty years ago, I don't think its going to be resolved any time soon."

The girls in the class all groaned and he chuckled.

"Alright guys, I'm Lt. Commander Bridge Carson, Director of Cadet Academics and…" he paused a moment, his eyes on Alycia, "…you're Galactic Biology instructor."

At this, Alycia slipped down into her chair, blushing faintly. Though many people didn't know it, Alycia was something of an expert at all things biological.

"For the record, every class you have, both academic and physical, there will be a cadet who has been given the honor of being Instructor's Assistant. These cadets tested out of the areas of study that they will be helping instruct. This year, seven of the first year cadets tested out of some areas and five of them tested higher than even the second year cadets applying for the job. My assistant is Alycia Landors." He motioned for Alycia to stand. She did so reluctantly as the other cadets began murmuring to each other.

"Hi." She waved half-heartedly. Bridge chuckled; it never ceased to amaze him how completely different Alycia was to her parents. Piper, Ella, and Eli all exchanged smiles; they knew how flustered she got when put in the spotlight.

"Alycia will be both grader and, well, assisting you during class. If you have questions or need help in anything for this class and I'm not available, ask her and she can help." He explained as Alycia sunk back down into her chair.

"That said, lets get down to business." Bridge grinned and pulled out a data pad..

"We'll go around the room and everyone can introduce themselves while my lovely assistant takes attendance." He handed the data pad to Alycia who immediately straightened. Piper hid a smile. _Flustered and shy she may be, but give her a responsibility and she's fine. _

An hour or so later, Bridge let the first year cadets go with a flourish. The first day was always the most stressful, for everyone. The cadets didn't know what to expect, the instructors had to make a good first impression, it was enough to make his stomach do flip-flops. As Ella and Eli left the room, he let out a breath and then chuckled when he felt Z come up beside him.

"How were they?" she asked curiously.

"I think Piper got a bit of a late start. She was eating a donut when I came in. And I think Ella kept apologizing." He told her with a grin. Z giggled. "Besides that, they were fine. Though I think I embarrassed Alycia."

"It doesn't take a lot to embarrass that girl." Z observed. Bridge nodded.

"If it weren't for her powers, I'd wonder about her father." He commented and then yelped with Z slapped him.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, Ella had joined Alycia in the embarrassed department; her parents had neglected to tell her she had been named Assistant to Senior Lieutenant Austin Scott in the Ranger History class. Needless to say, she'd been completely baffled the rest of the session. 

"…I just can't believe they didn't tell me." Ella was complaining as they waited in line to get their meal. Piper chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't think Austin is going to forget your expression anytime soon. I know I won't." she teased. Ella lightly smacked her as they turned to find a table. Near the back, Zippy, Jon, and Kelson waved the quad over. Nearby, Piper saw her brothers with their teammates around another table. Smirking, she led the way so that they would bypass the B Squad team. Once in arms length, Piper bumped into Troy who nearly face planted into his tray. Thomas, Ian, and Trini all laughed while the pink ranger, Nikki, shot Piper a furious look.

"Watch where you're going cadet!" she snapped, handing Troy a napkin. Thomas snorted as Troy wiped his face.

"Easy, Nikki." He told her calmly. Nikki scowled as Troy looked up at Piper with a smirk.

"She's a first year, Thomas. She needs to learn her place." Nikki argued. Piper raised an eyebrow as everyone nearby got very quiet. Troy shrugged.

"I'll let you handle this." He told his sister before turning back to his tray. Piper tilted her head and looked Nikki over. She slowly smiled.

"Oh, I get it. You think I'm flirting with your crush." She commented. Ian, Trini, and Thomas all choked while Troy went bright red. No one noticed Aimee, Tommy, Kat, Boom, and the former B Squad watching with amused expressions. Nikki scowled.

"He's not my crush!" she retorted indignantly. "And you're out of line, cadet."

Piper shrugged. "No, I don't think I am. I mean, yeah, by all rules and traditions, you're totally my superior when it comes to SPD." She acknowledged. Nikki smirked pompously while the others exchanged confused looks; this wasn't the Piper they all knew.

"However, when it comes to family, I'm totally ahead of you." She smirked. Nikki frowned as the others nodded knowledgably. This, on the other hand, was the Piper they all knew and loved.

"Explain yourself cadet!" she ordered. Piper smiled.

"Hi, I'm Piper Tate, Troy and Thomas younger sister." She introduced herself flippantly. A beat later, Piper turned on her hill and walked over to Jon, Zippy, and Kelson, leaving behind a gaping pink ranger and her four hooting teammates.

"I love you!" Kelson exclaimed the moment she sat down. Everyone gave him strange looks and he blushed.

"You know, in a total-best-friend-just-got-one-over-on-the-bitca-of-the-year kinda way." He hastily explained. Jon and Zippy laughed while the four first years exchanged confused looks.

"Bitca of the year?" Ella asked. Zippy nodded.

"You know how Aunt Kim is totally sweet and kind?" she asked. The four nodded.

"Nikki's the exact opposite." Jon explained. Piper frowned.

"And she's a ranger, how?" she asked. Kelson shrugged.

"She's a good fighter." He offered.

""Yeah, and that makes her think she's God's gift to the human race." Jon told them.

"She's constantly getting into trouble because of her holier-than-thou attitude. I think granddad regrets her placement on the team. I know Uncle Sky does." Zippy put in. The four first years frowned and glanced over to find the hell-bitch herself glaring daggers at the oldest Tate girl. Piper blinked and turned back to her meal.

"If looks could kill, you'd be six feet under." Eli observed. Zippy snorted.

"Try twelve feet; no one's ever gotten the better of her. You just made total friends of a number of upper years." Her cousin and roommate told her. Piper scanned the room and found, true to Zippy's word, several upper years were grinning over at her.

"How nice." She commented faintly. A thought hit her and she turned back to the three second years in a bit of a panic.

"Is she an Instructors Assistant?" she demanded. Jon snorted.

"Traditionally, B Squad does assist in cadet basic training but…" He made a face and Kelson smirked.

"None of the instructors wanted her."

* * *

"Welcome to Basic Training in Hand-to-Hand Fighting techniques. I'm your instructor, Sky Tate. I've been teaching this class for a few years now and I know the basic questions you will undoubtfully be asking in the near future. So lets get them out of the way now." Sky suggested. Piper, Eli, Ella, and Alycia exchanged smirks. 

"Yes, I was the blue ranger during the war with Gruumm and the red ranger for six years after it. Yes, I'm married to Dr. Aimee Oliver-Tate, and yes, I am Commander Oliver's son-in-law. I am also blue ranger Troy, Green Ranger Thomas, and your classmate Piper's father. I have three more kids at home. I have the power to create force fields with my mind. No, I was not once gay." Sky paused as several of the cadets snickered, his daughter, nephew, and two neices cheif among them. "No, I did not have an affair with any of my female teammates—"

"Can we say President Clinton?" Ella whispered to Eli, causing several nearby cadets to stifle laughs. Sky gave them a look and they quieted down.

"That's not true you know. You dated mom." Piper spoke up. Sky smiled at her.

"Technically, your mother was not a member of B Squad when we began dating." He reminded her. Piper's eyes twinkled as several of the cadets turned to watch the father-daughter verbal judo.

"She was when she became the green ranger after Uncle Jack stepped down and you and Uncle Bridge stepped up." She shot back. Sky opened his mouth to retort and then snapped it shut. Shooting her a look, he suddenly smirked. Piper's face fell.

"Cadet Tate, front and center!" Sky barked. Piper stepped forward reluctantly.

"Me and my big mouth." She muttered and Alycia, Ella, and Eli exchanged amused looks.

"Cadets, I'd like to introduce you to my Assistant for this class, Cadet Piper Tate." Sky announced. Piper gaped at her father in shock. Sky, for his part, kept a straight face though his eyes were twinkling like mad.

"To showcase why Cadet Tate was chosen as my assistant, we're going to give you a little…demonstration." He told them. Nearby, Tommy, who'd been touring the grounds and watching the classes, leaned against a building wall and watched the two in amusement. Piper made a face.

"Kata number 12, Piper." He told her. Piper nodded and got in position. Without warning, Sky lashed out with his foot. It was only Piper's quick reflexes and knowledge of the kata that kept her from losing her head. Within minutes, Sky and Piper were in the middle of the most outstanding fight many of the cadets had ever seen. Claudia leaned over to Alycia.

"Are we going to learn to do that?" she asked excitedly. Alycia smiled down at her.

"Unless you end up in the advanced class, I doubt it'll be this year." She whispered back. Claudia pouted and the taller girl giggled.

"Woah!" Piper yelled when she fell flat on her back. Sky, who'd deviated from the proposed kata at the last minute, kept himself in a fighting stance. Piper flipped back onto her feet and glared at her father.

"That was NOT part of Kata number 12!" she scolded as Sky went for a sweep kick. Piper jumped up and the moment she landed, Sky punched her in the stomach.

"Try Mamba Number 9!" Eli yelled, much to Sky's bemusement. Piper paused, confused, giving Sky the chance to sweep kick her again. Sitting on the ground, she glared first at Eli, who was looking contrite, and then at her smirking father.

"Fine, if that's the way you want it…" she flipped back onto her feet and immediately got back into a fighting stance. Without warning, she feinted a spin kick and at the last minutes dropped down to sweep kick her father to the ground. Sky looked up at his smirking daughter before flipping back to his feet.

"You're grounded young lady." He told her as he went on the offensive. Piper, blocking him, smiled.

"'I cannot get grounded for anything I do for school.' Mom made that rule." She shot back just before falling on her face again. Looking down at her, Sky nodded.

"Good point and good match." He told her, hauling his daughter to her feet. Piper smiled.

"One of these days, I'm going to beat you." She informed him. Sky smiled.

"Hmmmm, I doubt it." He smirked. The cadets all exchanged smiles and incredulous looks. Laughing softly, Tommy headed inside the base to do some paperwork.

"Al right, now, during your application to SPD, you went through a physical training test. We have the results of that test right here. Ten of you will be working with Piper on basic hand to hand fighting. Five of you will be working with me on advanced hand to hand fighting. Those five are Ella Carson, Elijah Carson, Claudia Chen, Alycia Landors, and Nathan Richardson." He announced without missing a beat. The fifteen Green Dragon cadets all straightened to attention.

"For next class, I expect all of you to be on time and ready to go when I arrive. All seventeen of us will stretch together and then do a simple kata before splitting into the two groups. Am I clear?" he asked. The cadets all answered in the affirmative and Sky smiled.

"Alright then. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He released them. Sky turned to Piper.

"Come by my office later today and we'll discuss what I want you to do with them." He told her. She nodded. He smiled.

"How did your first day go?" he asked curiously as they slowly made their way back into the building. In front of them, Eli, Ella, Alycia, and Claudia were laughing at something Eli had said.

"Pretty good. The look on Ella's face when Austin told her she was his assistant was priceless. And Eli and I got shot by Uncle Jack." She groaned, motioning to her reddened arm. Sky winced.

"Yeah, he mentioned that. You shouldn't be messing around in Weapons Training. Hand-to-Hand, I can give you some slack. But not when you're handling weapons." He reprimanded her. Piper nodded, looking sheepish.

"I know." She agreed. Sky smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She wrapped and arm around his waist and laughed.

"This is going to be an awesome year, isn't it Papa?" she asked with a grin. Looking down at his daughter, Sky nodded.

"Definitely."

* * *

End Notes: I just remembered a comment I got after the last chapter in THE. The reviewer asked how the MF team could have been around during SPD. Well, SPD was set twenty years in the future (2025 to be precise) and as we saw in an MF ep with Piggy, he had just arrived on earth during the MF time. So, it is my belief that MF was set in the year it debuted--2006. Therefore, THE was set 19 _after_ MF. 

BTW, my website, Jaded Rose, has an all new page devoted entirely to THE and Inheritance, complete with mini bios and pictures of every character (and the pictures actually work this time!). It also has a small tidbit of information about the two stories. If you can figure out what that tidbit is, I'll give you a cookie! The link is on my profile page.

**Jordan:** Check out the site. (grins) And thanks for reviewing!

Thanks to **Enigmaforum**, **Tierra**,** Lauren**, **the real vampire**, and **garnetred **for the reviews.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Ya'll crack me up, that's all I gotta say.

* * *

**Princess Shayla:** You met other Power Rangers? Well, were they nice?  
**All except Taylor:** Yeah!  
**Taylor:** No!  
**Max:** Taylor especially liked the Quantum Ranger...

* * *

The next day dawned bright and early…and in a compromising position.

"What the…!" Piper exclaimed when she went to roll over only to find herself quite literally tied to her bed. Across the room, Ella was trying to wriggle her way free from the duck tape and rope with little success.

"So it's begun." Zippy smirked from the doorway. Piper lifted her head off the pillow to glare at her cousin.

"Zip, get us out of this!" she demanded angrily. Zippy smirked.

"No can do, little cousin. First year initiation has begun and I'll be damned if I get in trouble with your brothers for helping you. The last time I pissed them off, I ended up with green hair, remember?" she asked. Piper growled as she began wriggling again. Ella suddenly stopped moving.

"Hey Zippy?" she called. Zippy looked over at her. Ella grinned.

"Duck!" she warned right before something collided with the back of Zippy's head.

"Ow! What the hell was…that…" she trailed off as Ella's makeup bag sailed over the still immobile girl. Zippy watched with interest as using on the power of her mind, Ella opened the bag and a pair of scissors floated out. Zippy started laughing as Ella telekinetically used the scissors to cut the tape holding her hostage. Once free, Ella sprang out of her bed and rushed over to her friend. Shaking her head, Zippy went back to her room to get her backpack sorted while Piper took her shower first, as they had agreed to last night.

* * *

About an hour later the three girls walked into the cafeteria, laughing at a story Zippy had been telling. As they got in line, Piper looked the crowd over and realized she and Ella were the only first years present. She smirked.

"Zipporah Aimee Oliver! You let them go!" Troy suddenly appeared at Piper's elbow, a look of consternation on his face. Zippy held up her hands and shook her head.

"No way! They got out all by themselves. It was pretty ingenious too." She told him. Troy frowned and Piper giggled.

"Ella grabbed her scissors from her makeup bag and cut us free." She told him. Troy frowned again as Nikki suddenly appeared at his shoulder.

"And how did Carson get her scissors?" she demanded, glaring at Zippy. The three girls frowned.

"Like this." Ella told her, an apple floating in front of her face. Nikki took a step back.

"How the hell…." She gaped as Piper snatched the apple and placed it on her tray. Within seconds however, it had floated back to Ella.

"I'm telekinetic." Ella told her as Piper pouted at her apple-less tray. Nikki's eyes flashed and she stomped back to the unofficial B Squad table. Troy shrugged at Piper's inquiring stare.

"Nikki really likes initiation." He explained before walking after the pink ranger. Piper rolled her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised?" she muttered.

* * *

It was second period before Ella and Piper saw Alycia. The other girl rushed into class a minute after the bell rang, mumbling an apology to Austin. He frowned and then glanced around at his sparsely populated classroom. He sighed.

"Let me guess, initiation?" he asked the class. They all nodded. Smiling ruefully he grabbed a handful of papers and handed them to Ella. She began passing them around as Austin lowered the lights and turned on the computer screen.

"Because this is Ranger History, we're going to watch the Legend of the Power History vid created and maintained by our very own Commander Oliver. I suggest you pay attention because this will be on the quiz on Friday." He warned before starting the vid. Piper smiled wryly when her grandfather appeared on the screen.

"What you're about to see is a history of one of the greatest group of heroes in the world. The Power Rangers…"

* * *

"Okay, what did I miss in history and Biology?" Eli asked the moment Piper walked in the door to their math class. She and Eli were stuck in geometry while Alycia and Ella, both annoyingly good at math, had algebra II.

"Well, your dad went over the basic earth classification of living organisms and we watched my Granddad's in depth history of the rangers vid. It was fun, every clip of my mom and dad seemed to be of them arguing or ignoring each other." She giggled. Eli groaned.

"Man, I'm gonna kill whoever tied me to my bed." He grumbled. Piper raised an eyebrow as Lt. Richter walked in and set his books on the table.

"Alright guys, I'm not going to require your homework until tomorrow since I know you all had a rough morning. I will have it tomorrow, however, or you'll get a zero." He warned them. Eli turned to her.

"What did your granddad do for all his clips?" he whispered somewhat knowingly. Piper smirked.

"Half way through a glowing showcase of Granddad kicking butt, the clip stopped and Great Aunt Kim's voice came on saying something along the lines, 'alright, lets stop playing make believe and show what really happened.' After that, nearly every clip was of Granddad getting his ass kicked." She snickered as she opened her book. Eli shot her a grin before the two turned to Lt. Richter as he began talking about some number thing…

* * *

"It's official, I hate English! Why do I have to take it when I already know it?" Alycia demanded as they waited in line for lunch. Ella and Eli exchanged smirks as Piper searched the room for the three second years; she didn't see them.

"We've been over this, Aly. You don't really know a language until you can tell me what juxtaposing is." Eli waved his finger at her. Alycia frowned.

"Does anyone really know that?" she asked skeptically. Eli smiled as he grabbed a plate of meatloaf.

"Don't eat that!" Piper spoke sharply, taking the meatloaf and placing it back on the counter.

"Hey! I like meatloaf!" Eli argued.

"Yeah and I suppose the fact that Troy, Thomas, and Nikki are all watching us and its initiation week is just a huge coincidence." She remarked sarcastically. Eli's eyes widened and he looked down at the meatloaf and then over to the B Squad table. He sighed and placed the meatloaf back reluctantly. By unspoken agreement, the four first year cadets put their trays back and headed out to Piper and Ella's room. They had a bunch of chips, dip, and other various snacks they could eat until dinner. As they walked out, none noticed Nikki scowl fiercely.

* * *

"Hey guys, welcome back. Don't worry, Initiation will be over soon." Jack greeted his Weapons Training students after lunch. Alycia wrinkled her nose.

"Good cause I don't want to hide in Piper and Ella's room for every meal for the rest of the year." Alycia groused. Jack smirked.

"They messed with the food in the café?" he asked knowingly. Piper shrugged.

"They seemed to be very interested what all the first years were choosing and every upperclassman took extra precaution on what they grabbed." She reported. Jack chuckled.

"Alright guys, grab the blasters. We're going to go over the basic safety again. In fact, we'll be doing that for the rest of the week." He announced to loud groans.

"Hey, hey, hey, safety is important. It wouldn't do for you guys to be pursuing a suspect and your blaster blowing up in her hand. It'd hurt a whole lot and I'm not even going to mention the teasing you'll get." He reprimanded them. They all nodded, looks of disgust or mirth on their faces as they imagined such a scenario.

* * *

"Hey Pops!" Piper chirped as she walked into her dad's office. The other cadets were in the locker rooms changing into training clothes. She, having already changed, wanted to go over the plans for that days lessens one more time.

"Piper." He nodded to her, looking down at a datapad in his hand. She frowned.

"Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly. He looked up, a frown on his face.

"Hmm?" he asked, before his hearing caught up with his mind. "Oh, nothing, just some notes your mother wanted me to go over on the new simulation program for mid-terms." He told her, throwing the datapad onto his desk. Piper smiled.

"So, we do stretches for five minutes, then a warm up kata and then I got to torture—I mean, teach the rookies Kata number 16?" she asked. Sky smiled.

"Twelve, actually." He told her. She nodded, running it through her head.

"Right, I knew that. See, I'm gonna be the best little assistant you've ever had." She grinned cheekily at him. Sky raised an eyebrow.

"Go easy on them Pi, most of them haven't been doing martial arts since they were two." He reminded her. She smirked.

"You're never going to forgive Granddad for teaching me to spin kick when I was five, are you?" she asked impishly. Sky grimaced and shifted.

"I'm just glad we decided six kids were enough before he did; I'd hate to disappoint your mother." He joked half-heartedly. Piper snorted.

* * *

"Eli, you're the bestest." Alycia squealed when the blonde walked in with three boxes of pizza and Claudia later that night. Eli grinned.

"You're just now figuring this out?" he asked jokingly as he placed the pizzas on the card table Piper had dragged out. Claudia smiled shyly at the three girls.

"Eli said you guys wouldn't mind if I joined you." She murmured. Piper grinned.

"Not at all Claud, come on and eat." She told the smaller girl. Ella grinned.

"Do you know Texas Hold Em?" she asked, pulling a poker set out from under her bed. Claudia's eyes lit up and she nodded happily. Within ten minutes, the five cadets each had several slices of pizza, cups of soda's, and hands full of cards as they played poker.

* * *

End Notes: I hope ya'll are liking this. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I uploaded this chappy now cause I have a four day weekend coming up and I'm going home. I need a break, school's driving me crazy. Expect another chapter after I get back next Wednesday!

Oh, and by the way, most, if not all your questions, will be answered in future chapters. And no, rangers aren't rabbits (I choked on my Mountain Dew when I read that).

Have fun this weekend everyone!


	5. Chapter 4

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes:** See End Notes.

* * *

**Skull (To Billy): **Can I borrow your brain for next Tuesday's test?

* * *

To say Piper was having a fairly bad week would be an understatement. Due to initiation, most of the first years had been given extra duty as punishment for being late to various classes or missing them altogether. After Monday, Piper, Ella, Alycia, Eli, and Claudia had kept an eye out for each other and so didn't get as many punishments as the rest of the first years. Unfortunately, this created some comments about favoritism and some cadets had accused them of getting off from punishment because of who there parents were. Claudia had been reduced to tears when one of the cadets had made several biting remarks about her grandfather's "legacy."

"Look, this week can't get any worse, right?" Piper had asked that Friday morning after several students had groaned at the pop quiz and made no attempt to hide there anger towards the quintet. She was wrong. In Weapons training, Jack set them up playing paintball tag. Within minutes, four of the quintet were covered in little colored paint balls.

"Well, at least they can't shoot us anymore." Piper commented as she gingerly sat down on the bench. Eli sighed.

"That does not comfort me." He told her testily. Piper held up her pink and blue covered hands.

"Hey, hey, hey! This is so not my fault. If anyone is at fault, it's the upper-cadets. They don't _have_ to do initiation." She pointed out. Ella, next to Eli groaned when she saw Claudia, covered in paint, emerge from the maze. Piper pulled the miserable girl to sit beside her. Jack walked over, a frown on his face.

"I'm afraid to ask this, but how did you five get picked off first?" he asked worriedly. Alycia motioned to a couple third year cadets nearby.

"The other first years are upset because we seem to be getting fewer punishments than them." She told her dad.

"Yeah, and they think the upper cadets aren't harassing us as much as them because of our parents and grandparents." Eli added, attempting to scrub the paint off his mask. Jack sighed.

"Talk to Troy and Thomas. They were treated the same way they're first year. So were Jon, Zippy, and Kelson." He advised. They nodded, watching as two girls emerged from the maze with a couple paint splatters a piece. Piper looked down at the overalls she was wearing and sighed. It was going to be a long weekend.

* * *

"Hey Piper?" Claudia asked later that night when the quintet was working on various homework assignments in the girl's room. Piper looked up from her laptop.

"Yeah?" she asked curiously. Claudia bit her lip.

"What are you going to do for Lt. Scott's project?" she asked curiously. Piper grinned. In class that day, Austin had assigned them to give an overview of one of the rangers and said they could decide how that overview would be arranged. She knew the majority of the students would be doing papers, but she had different plans.

"I'm gonna do what Granddad did only…about him. With music." She added with a wicked grin. The others cracked up while Claudia looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked. With a few keystrokes, a home-made video called "The Geeks Get the Girls" popped up onto Piper's computer. A few minutes into the video, Claudia fell off the bed from laughter.

"I've been doing these things since I was about twelve. Mom bought me a whole bunch of new software when I made one about her and Granddad that she absolutely loved. I'm thinking I'm gonna do one on Granddad for the project." She explained, pulling her laptop back towards her. Claudia and the others nodded, looking amused.

"Piper, who was the, uh, second red ranger in the Turbo era? I got it wrong but I don't know how. I said TJ and I…oh…I hate when I do that!" Alycia grumbled. At the others inquiring stares, she sighed.

"I wrote JT."

* * *

**End Notes:** I know this is really kinda short but I didn't want to break my promise for a chapter for tonight so…besides, this works really well.

The music video mentioned in this chapter actually exists; it was created by my friend/video mentor RevolutionChick and is awesome—so awesome in fact that when Kevin Duhaney saw it, he granted PowerRangersUniverse an interview. Granted, that interview hasn't been done yet, but they've gotten a lot of different PR actors—including Jason David Frank this past week!

Anyway, the link is on my profile page, as well as the link to my PR Halloween video I made called Thriller. If you have the time, check out both vids and tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 5

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I had an awesome weekend, how was everyone else's?

* * *

**Jason:** _You must be the new guy._  
**Cole:** _Hi! I'm Cole!_  
**Jason:** (pats Cole on the arm) _Good._

* * *

"Alright everyone, you know what today is. Hand in your projects." Austin called a week later. The cadets around the quintet all pulled out typed reports, just like Piper had suspected they would. Alycia handed Austin her poster collage of Trini Kwan-Tsukino, while Eli handed in a PowerPoint of Jason Scott. Ella happily handed Austin a self-made "magazine" of Kimberly Hart-Scott and Claudia gave the lieutenant a "Users Manuel" to Billy Cranston (it was in blue genius joke). Then there was Piper. 

"What is this?" Austin asked, holding up the vid disk. She grinned.

"My project." Piper explained, ignoring the smirks from the rest of the students. Austin frowned a bit, then shrugged and added it to the pile on his desk. Piper smiled while her friends looked on curiously. She'd refused to show them the final product but they knew it would be good.

"Alright. I'll get these graded tonight and you'll get them back tomorrow. Now, onto the second chapter, which, hopefully, you all read. About eighteen months into the legacy, three of the original six left rangering. Who can tell me which three?" Austin asked. A student near the front, Nadia Molina, raised her hand. Austin motioned to her.

"Trini, Zack, and Jason left rangering to attend a Peace Conference in Switzerland." She replied. Austin nodded and then turned to Mark Rillan, a cadet who seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble.

"Cadet Rillan, who replaced Jason, Trini, and Zack?" he asked. Rillan shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

"Cadet Rillan, did you read the assignment?" Austin asked. Rillan shook his head.

"I did the other assignment, sir." He replied, mumbling. Austin sighed.

"Report to the cafeteria tomorrow at five for potato duty cadet." He ordered. "Can anyone else tell me who took over for them?"

"Jason was replaced by Rocky DeSantos, Trini by Aisha Campbell, and Zack by Adam Park." Ella answered. Austin nodded.

"Correct, Cadet Carson." He smiled. "Now, the arrival of Rocky, Aisha, and Adam caused a lot of changes in the rangers lives…."

* * *

"Man, Rillan really needs to get his act together. That's the third time he's not read the assignment and got caught." Eli commented as they left the class later that day. He and Piper waved good-bye to Alycia, Claudia, and Ella who were heading to their math classes. Piper shrugged, studying the cadet walking a couple feet ahead of them. 

"I don't know, I don't think he's too happy to be here." She replied, rummaging around in her bag for a sucker. Eli sighed.

"Still, you'd think he'd be a little bit more involved in class. The only class he seems to enjoy is English." He commented. Piper nodded.

"Exactly my point. All the other classes are geared towards making you a better ranger." She told him. Eli shrugged.

"Oh well. Hey, what did you get for number six?" he asked as came upon the classroom. Piper didn't answer as she saw a small crowd around the door. Frowning, she pushed her way to the front and found a note from her grandfather.

"Class is cancelled due to Lt. Richter landing in the med lab due to the Pterodactyl training session yesterday afternoon. Signed, Commander Oliver." She read, grinning. She went back to Eli.

"Class cancelled, lets go play table-hockey!" she suggested with a smirk. Eli snickered and followed his friend to the Green Dragon lounge.

* * *

"Man, you're so lucky. No math." Alycia complained when she heard about their free period. Ella giggled. 

"Not really, now you have to do the work without the instruction of the teacher. Class policy." She pointed out. Alycia smiled while Eli groaned.

"I have enough trouble _with_ the instructors help, how am I supposed to do the work without it?" he demanded. Claudia smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll help you." She promised. Eli brightened.

"Yeah, since you're so smart and in Trig and all. Thanks Claud." He told her. Claudia's cheeks went pink. Piper, Ella, and Alycia exchanged amused looks.

* * *

"Hey guys," Zippy greeted them. They all nodded hello, sitting on the ground in front of base. Classes were over for the day and they just wanted to relax. 

"How are things with the other first years?" Jon asked as he walked up. As he settled himself beside Zippy, the Quintet exchanged looks.

"Most have gotten over their issues…we think. There's still a small pocket that do not like us AT ALL." Ella told her, plucking a blade of grass from the lawn.

"We have a group like that. Don't worry, every year there's a group of cadets who think if you're connected to the academy in any way, your getting favoritism." Jon informed them. The quintet sighed.

"I just wish there was some way we could prove we belong here and aren't being spoiled." Claudia complained.

"What about the tournament?" Kelson asked as he walked over and sat down. The five first years looked at him in confusion while Zippy and Jon eyes lit up.

"Huh?"

"Every semester there's a competition. Anyone who wants to compete can and you can compete in teams of five, duos, or singles. Some people, like Troy and Thomas, do all three. The competitions are meant to give everyone experience fighting different people. If you win any of the finals, you get one week of no classes and you don't have to make up any of the work you miss." He explained. Piper and Ella exchanged grins.

"I remember that, Troy was all bent out of shape his first year when he got beat in the singles by a third year." Eli recalled. Piper grinned.

"Oh yeah, and dad kept trying to cheer him up with the fact he and Thomas won the duos competition." She remembered. She and Eli exchanged grins.

"Power of the Twins!"

The others laughed along with Piper and Eli and then got down to business in deciding what each would do. It was an unspoken fact that Piper, Eli, Ella, Alycia, and Claudia would compete in the fives; the whole point of them joining the competition was to prove they belonged. Piper, Eli, and Claudia decided to compete in the singles while Alycia and Ella declined. They did however decide to compete in the duos; the Carson and Landor girl combo was practically legendary in their B Squad Family. With a grin, Piper accepted Zippy's offer of a partnership against the girls while Eli and Kelson vowed to beat them. Claudia and Jon decided not to compete in duos, even though the others urged them to.

"So where do we sign up?" Piper asked.

"Already have." Aimee's voice floated over to them. The group turned around to find the former B Squad Green ranger standing behind them with a data pad in hand and a grin on her face. "I can't wait to see the boys' expression when they find out you two are competing in the duos."

Piper and Zippy exchanged grins. There'd always been a fierce rivalry between the two girls and the two boys.

"Thanks Aunt Aimee." Ella acknowledged. Aimee smiled at her before glancing pointedly to Claudia who was looking a bit nervous. Piper grinned and wrapped an arm around the younger girls shoulder.

"Mom, this is Claudia Chen; Claud, this is my mom, Aimee Tate." She introduced the two women. Claudia smiled shyly.

"Hi, Dr. Tate." She gave a little wave, causing Aimee to giggle.

"Hi, sweetie. You can call me Aunt Aimee, practically everyone else does." She smiled. "One of these days we need to get you to the house so I can hear all about Mirinoi and what Aunt Kendrix and your grandfather are up to. I always liked them."

The sun was nearly darkened by the bright grin that spread across Claudia's face. Piper was amused to note Kelson looking thunderstruck next to the small girl, and from Alycia, Ella, and Zippy's expressions, she wasn't the only one to notice.

* * *

**End Notes:** Classes are crazy (again!) and my sis just had issues with her health and is in the hospital. Other than that, I had a blast this weekend. 

I and three of my friends went to see the off-Broadway production of The Lion King! The best part was we had awesome seats in the balcony and could see everything! The next day we ended up at the Scholastic Warehouse with one of the girls' uncle who works there and we got any book we wanted half off. THEN, we went to an outlet mall and I got some more books from a store that was going out of business (20 off). We also ended up at Party City where I got these wicked looking Goth wings for my Halloween costume. The only problem is I can't figure out how to wear them.

My weekend was awesome. How was everyone else's?

BTW, I've been re-watching the LotR trilogy (my roommate has the extended editions) and I may end up doing a fic. Not sure yet.

**the real vampire:** Troy/Thomas/Piper are Sky and Aimee's kids, Ella/Eli are Bridge and Z's; Alycia/Jon are Jack and Syd's; Kelson is Boom's; and Zippy is JD's daughter. Ian/Trini are Jason, Kim, and Trini's grandchildren (through their mom, TaiSan, and their dad, Austin). As for Nikki…(grins)

Also, thanks to **garnetred** & **angellwings**, for the reviews.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Ella's computer was modeled very loosely after Z's computer in **kikos ai's**_ OK Computer._ If you haven't read it, you should. It's a fairly amusing one-shot.

* * *

**Jason**: _You think you're so tough? You take me on!_  
**Tommy**: _With pleasure!_

* * *

A week later, the quintet were back in Ranger History class when Austin handed back the ranger profile assignment. Once he'd passed everything but Piper's vid disk back, he returned to the front of the classroom. Piper frowned and raised a hand.

"All of you did well. I know, Piper." He nodded, motioning her to put her hand down. She did, exchanging a confused look with Eli.

"As I was saying all of you did well. The papers and other projects were written and organized well. In fact, there were five cadets who got a 100." He announced. The cadets exchanged looks. "When I gave you the assignment, I told you to be creative. These five were. Landors, Carson, Carson, and Chen didn't do papers, like all of you. There projects had the something more I mentioned."

Piper grinned at her four friends, all of whom were either blushing (the girls) or smirking (Eli). "There was one person, however, who used every resource available to her. I would like to show you her project now." He picked up a remote and pressed a few buttons. Within a few minutes, the media screen was up and running and the projector was on.

"Cadet Tate created a music video showcasing her grandfather, Tommy Oliver. But she did so creatively, and I might add humorously, and was able to give the audience a feel for who he really was. Not just a ranger, but a very normal person." With that he pressed play and Piper's vid sprang to life. Piper went red as the music of the old country song "As Good As I Once Was" filled the air.

"Piper!" Eli whispered urgently, motioning to the back of the classroom before turning back to the screen. Frowning, she looked over her shoulder to find her parents and her grandfather standing just inside the door, watching the vid. Her mother was desperately trying to stifle her laughter, and failing miserably. Her dad was chuckling silently as he watched the music vid. As for Grand-dad…

"Oh boy." Piper muttered as she turned back to the screen. Her classmates were enjoying the vid, most (if not all) of them snickering. When the "red-neck boys" line came on with the Forever Red footage, everyone, including Austin and her parents, burst into laughter. Piper glanced back again and heaved a sigh of relief. If Grand-dad was chuckling then he didn't mind the teasing she was basically doing in the vid.

Once the video finished, Austin turned the lights back on. Piper's class-mates were still laughing as a slow clapping filled the air. Piper turned around to find Tommy walking to the front of the classroom.

"I see why you wanted me here for this." He told Austin before turning to the class and in particular, Piper. "I only have one question. Where did you get my dream footage?" he asked curiously.

Piper grinned. "You never should had told Hayley you downloaded that coma for future refrence." Was all she said and Tommy started laughing.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Kelson called as he found them in the cafeteria later that night. "They posted the tournament bracket for singles and your vid somehow got loose in the base. Everyone's been talking about it." He told Piper. She frowned, her mouth full of spaghetti.

"How'd they get it?" She asked after swallowing. Kelson shrugged but Zippy, who was sitting next to Piper, nodded to Trini and Ian over at the B Squad table.

"Ian grabbed it from his dad's office and Trini downloaded it onto her shared files. That's how." She informed them. Piper sighed.

"Figures. At least Grand-dad liked it." She commented. The others laughed.

"He wasn't the only one. Austin sent it to Uncle Jason and Aunt Kim who then pretty much sent it everywhere else. Your grandfather's been fielding calls left and right from his friends." Aimee informed them as she passed by to sit down with Sky and Z. Piper smirked.

"So the Singles tournament bracket is up?" Eli asked Kelson. He nodded, pointing his fork at Zippy and Jon.

"You two are Spar number 7." He informed them with a grin, causing the two second year's to glare good-naturedly at each other. Piper set her fork down.

"What about me?" she asked curiously. Kelson frowned, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to remember.

"I think you're fighting Eddie Gates." He told her. She frowned, glancing over at the third year who'd been her group leader during orientation. He was sitting with B Squad.

"Is that a good thing?" Eli asked curiously. The three second years exchanged looks.

"Well…Nikki only accepts the second best fighter as her partner in any tournament and he's her partner for this one, last I heard. What does that tell you?" Jon asked diplomatically. Piper sighed.

"That I'm going to get my ass handed to me." She muttered looking back down at her plate. Eli bumped her gently on the side with his elbow.

"Hey, you're an awesome fighter. You scored higher than all the second years, right? I mean, you're the Instructors Assistant in Hand-to-Hand. That's gotta count for something." He told her. Alycia nodded.

"Yeah, and you know like a hundred different kata's and your grand-dad's been grooming you as a fighter since you were like, what, two?" she asked. Piper smiled slightly at them.

"Good point." She allowed before turning back to Kelson.

"What about these two?" She asked motioning to Eli and Claudia. Kelson smiled apologetically at them.

"Claudia's facing off against Thomas in Spar 5 and Eli is facing off against Troy in Spar 8." He apologized. The two groaned. Piper elbowed Eli and shot Claudia a look.

"Hey, remember, positive thinking." She reminded them. They gave her looks and she smirked.

"Who's Nikki fighting, anyway?" Ella asked. Kelson grinned devilishly.

"Gabriel Rodriguez." He replied. Zippy and Jon choked on their food.

"The third year who got arrested this summer for disorderly conduct at a concert?!" Zippy asked incredulously. Kelson nodded.

"Which fight is that cause I don't plan on missing it." Piper announced to general laughter.

"Nikki's in Spar 3." He replied. Piper froze in mid-nod.

"Wait a minute, if Nikki is in Spar three and I'm in Spar four…" she trailed off as Ella turned white.

"You two could end up fighting!" She exclaimed dumbly. The others gaped.

"Wait, guys, in order for them to fight, they'd either both have to lose or both will have to win." Alycia reminded them. They all nodded, Piper looking somewhat relieved. Suddenly, she smiled.

"Well, I'll just have to wait and see what happens between Nikki and Gabriel before deciding if I really want to win or not." She outlined. Eli frowned at her.

"You can't throw the fight just cause you don't want to fight Nikki." He reprimanded her. She frowned.

"I won't throw the fight! I just, if Nikki loses, it'll give me extra motivation to beat Gates, see?" she asked. Eli snorted but otherwise didn't comment.

"So when do the fights start?" Ella asked somewhat shakily. Kelson smiled slightly.

"Spar one and two are on Saturday, with Spar three and four the Saturday after and so forth. Once the first round is finished, they'll go a lot quicker, with like four or five fights a week. Of course, we also have the duos and teams tournament going on at the same time, so they have to balance it all out." He explained, spearing a head of broccoli. The Quintet exchanged looks.

"When will they have the other brackets out?" Claudia asked hesitantly.

"The other two brackets will be up on Friday." Sky assured them as he and Aimee passed by to take their lunch trays back. Piper shot her parents a look and muttered something about eavesdroppers.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Piper was sitting at her desk checking her email.

"Dude, I got emails from like, everywhere. Hey, this one is from some guy on Mirionoi. _That_ _was hysterical. You should totally do one on Commander Corbett._ Huh."

On her bed, Ella chuckled. "You better watch it, if you aren't careful, you'll be bombarded with requests. Remember what happened in eighth grade?" she reminded her. Piper grimaced and erased the message asking what song he thought would fit the former Magna Defender.

"Hey, do you think the brackets for duos and teams are up yet?" Ella asked curiously. Piper shook her head as she slowly went through all the emails.

"Dad said they'd be up Friday, so we have to wait until then." She reminded her. Ella sighed, glancing at a calender.

"Friday's three days away, I don't think I can wait that long to find out if I'm going to get my ass kicked." She complained. Piper snorted.

"You think you have problems? There is a very real chance I'm going to end up fighting Nikki Harris, bane of my existence." She commented. Ella tilted her head and smiled a bit.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you so worried about a sparring match before." She commented idly.

"I've never fought a girl who makes my grand-dad during his evil green days look like a puppy before." Piper shot back. Ella frowned.

"Oh come on, she's not _that_ bad. You guys just got off on the wrong foot." She said. Piper turned around, an incredulous look on her face.

"Ella, she hates me, okay? She…she trips me every chance she gets, I'm fairly certain she's the one who messed with our shower, and she's constantly shooting me these looks like if she had it her way, I'd be six feet under. The only reason she hasn't done anything more than that is because everyone knows she hates me and so she knows if anything happened to me, they'd instantly suspect her. This is the perfect chance for her to kick my ass royally and she knows it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she convinces Gates to throw the fight so she can have a crack at me." She complained. Ella shook her head.

"I still think you're being silly." She insisted, standing up and heading to the bathroom.

"Trust me, if I end up facing Nikki, I'm gonna end up in the infirmary." She predicted.

"The chances of beating Cadet Nikki Harris in a hand to hand sparring match are 46."

Piper frowned, looking around. "Hey, who said that?" she asked. Ella walked back in, an amused look on her face.

"That would be my computer, Lizzie." She informed her, grabbing the laptop her dad had bought her. Piper blinked.

"You gave your computer a name?" she asked, surprised. Ella nodded a sparkle in her eye.

"Lizzie isn't just a computer. She has the abilities of a fully functional Alpha unit only she's stationary." She explained. Piper frowned.

"So, she says ai ai ai a lot?" She asked, still confused. Ella shot her a dirty look as the computer gave a great big sniff of disdain.

"Very funny. What I mean is that she's fully sentient and can interact at an accelerated rate." At Piper's blank look, she sighed. "She has a personality."

"Oh. Why didn't you just say so?" She asked, going back to her emails. Ella rolled her eyes.

"The fact you passed the technology proficiency test boggles my mind."

* * *

**End Notes:** Sorry this chapter has taken so long, I've been having issues with classes and since I'm a whole crap-load of money to go to said classes...I figured I out to straight them out before doing any writing or vid making.

**the real vampire:** I'm glad you're liking Piper. She's fast becoming one of my favorite characters…

**BellaCordelia:** You'll just have to wait and see, won't you? (grins)

Thanks to **angellwings**, **garnetred**, and **DracoWolf88** for the reviews. And yes, the tournament's going to be…interesting.

Oh! I kind of spoiled Mystic Fate for myself and watched it last night. Oh my God, it's possibly one of the best PR endings ever! The only bad thing was that I had way too many fic and vid ideas after I watched it but, you know, I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing, LOL.

Oh, and the new vid mentioned (_As Good As I Once Was_) was done by RevolutionChick. The link can be found on my profile page.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Sorry this has taken me so long. I've been having issues with school and various family members getting sick.

* * *

**Goldar **(To Jason): _Listen to me, you pathetic little human! I could destroy you any time I want, but Rita has given you to me as a reward for my faithful service to her!_ (Laughs)_ Like tossing some meat to a hungry dog!

* * *

_

Much to Piper pleasure and annoyance, her grandfather decided to change things up a bit with this years tournament and she had two weeks to prepare. Unfortunately for Troy and Thomas, they did not and the following Saturday found her older brothers in a minor state of panic when it finally dawned on them that they would be facing Ian and Trini in the doubles.

"Dude, how come you didn't realize this, oh, I don't know, when they posted the brackets?" Eli asked amusedly that morning. Piper eyes widened when Troy and Thomas exchanged slightly guilty glances.

"You didn't even look at the brackets, did you?!" she exclaimed in astonishment. Troy shrugged.

"Every year we face off a bunch of newbies. How were we supposed to know we'd be facing off against our teammates?" He demanded. The Quintet didn't answer, they were too busy laughing.

"Hey Troy." Nikki greeted as she walked up. The pink rangers arrival was like a bucket of ice water being thrown on the quintet; the laughter died off and they all looked uneasily at her. Nikki ignored them and smiled brightly at Troy.

"You're going to do great, Troy. Ian and Trini won't know what hit em." She encouraged him. Behind her, Piper made a gagging motion, causing Thomas to choke. When Nikki looked at him curiously, he waved her away.

"Swallowed wrong." He stuttered. Nikki frowned but didn't say anything. With one last smile and pat on the arm, Nikki walked to her seat beside Eddie Gates. Troy turned to Piper with a murderous expression.

"When are you going to start acting your age?! You're sixteen, Piper Elizabeth Tate, not three." He exclaimed angrily. Piper scowled.

"One, don't ever use my full name again. Second, something's not right with her, Troy. Don't ask me what, I just…she's bad news." She told him. Troy glowered and turned back to his warm-ups. Thomas frowned thoughtfully at his little sister while her friends all looked anywhere but at her.

"Am I right guys?" she asked, glancing pointedly at the group. They didn't answer causing her to frown. Before she could comment, Tommy walked up and ushered them to their seats. The competition was about to begin.

* * *

"Wow...Wow...Wow." 

"Claudia, are you okay?" Kelson asked worriedly. The tournaments were over for the day and Claudia still seemed a bit shocked from the match earlier between Troy, Thomas, Ian, and Trini.

"I think the boys broke her with the fight earlier. She's been saying that all day." Ella answered for the still bedazzled girl. Kelson grinned.

"It was nothing." Jon commented from his perch on the gym bleachers. Claudia snapped from her daze to stare incredulously at him.

"'Nothing?!" she exclaimed, "That was not nothing! They could give my Uncle's Leo and Mike a run for their money!"

Claudia looked at Alycia in confusion when the other girl patted her on the shoulder.

"Welcome back to the land of the not bedazzled." She joked, causing Claudia to blush. Ella suddenly looked around.

"Hey! Where are Eli and Piper?" she asked worriedly. Zippy looked up from her magazine.

"Piper took off after Ian and Trini won. I haven't seen her since. Eli said he was going to go check on her." She explained.

"He had that look in his eye." Alicia added to Zippy's amusement.

"Okay, where was I when this happened?" Ella asked, confused.

"In your special place, Ell, which is why we love you." Zippy replied. Jon and Kelson snickered and Claudia took pity on the girl.

"You were oogling a couple guys in a match." She explained. Jon, Kelson, and Alycia all laughed while Ella tilted her head with a wry smile.

"Gotcha."

* * *

"I thought I'd find you up here." Eli commented as he climbed the last few rungs of the service ladder to the top of the snout of the base. He was huffing slightly as he carefully made his way over to his friend who was sitting on the edge. Piper sighed. 

"I want to be alone." She replied. Eli shrugged and sat down beside her.

"Oh well. It's a free world, more or less, and I can do whatever I want. If that means I want to tempt death, it means I'll tempt death." He replied blithely as he shot the fifty foot fall a dark look. Piper sighed and glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"You're not going to leave until I tell you what's wrong, are you?" she asked rhetorically. Eli shook his head.

"You know me too well." He replied. "What's bugging you?"

"The bitch from hell."

"I had a feeling that was it. Why do you dislike her so much?" he asked curiously. Her eyes sparked.

"I don't dislike her, Eli. I loathe her. She's…she's…she's….bad." she finished lamely. Eli gave her a little half smile.

"Is it because of Troy?" he asked knowingly. She shook her head.

"No. I mean, yeah, I don't like that the witch is dating my big brother and he doesn't seem to notice her evil ways, but no. That's not why I loathe her. She's evil Eli. I don't know why and I don't know how, but she is. And no ones seems to agree with me." She grumbled.

"Hey, that's not fair. None of us like her either." He objected. She shot him a look.

"I know you don't, but none of you agree that she's off. You just think it's her personality or something." She argued. Eli couldn't argue against that so didn't reply. Piper gazed out at the city lights. Eli looked around.

"I never realized how pretty the city is from up here." He commented. Piper smiled.

"When I'm up here, it's like nothing can touch me. I'm…I'm invulnerable. The worries all just fade away…." She trailed off as she gazed down at a bunch of blinking lights. She shivered and Eli realized she wasn't wearing her SPD jacket. He shrugged his off.

"Here." He told her, wrapping her up. Piper smiled slightly as she snuggled into its warmth.

"Thank you." She told him, staring at the lights. Eli was silent as he watched her expression lose the tension.

"Piper, do you think…" he trailed off, a frown on his face. She glanced at him.

"Do I think what?" she asked. He locked eyes with her.

"Do you think things could've been different between us?" he asked softly. She bit her lip.

"What do you mean?"

"If Kara had never entered the picture, do you think we could've worked things out?" he asked.

She swallowed, remembering the pretty blonde he'd dated. She'd been crushing on Eli for years and had just decided to be up front and tell him when she walked in on them making out and found out he was taken. The argument they'd had had haunted her for months before Ella had locked the two in a room so they could work things out. Even now, a year and a break-up later, things were still shaky between them. Even so, he definitely knew her best.

"I like to think so." She replied honestly. Eli sighed and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned in so she was resting against his chest. Eli looked down at her and kissed her hair.

"Me too, Pipe, me too."

* * *

**End Notes:** Um….I hope you all liked this. I would've had it up sooner but a lot of crap has occurred this semester that was completely out of my control. In fact, I'll be taking Incompletes in a couple of my classes so…yeah. 

On a side note, I have Christmas break in a week and a half and I plan on doing a lot of writing and vid making (hopefully). Oh, I made a couple of vids, including an intro vid for Through Her Eyes. I'm working on getting clips and stuff to make an intro vid for Inheritance but, uh, it may take a while with all the OC's.

**garnetred**, **DracoWolf88**, **the real vampire**, thank you for the reviews.

**BellaCordelia: **(giggles maniacally)

**angellwings**: I'm working on a Maddick vid but its taking some time. I'll get the link onto my profile once its done.

Oh one more thing, I'm seriously considering changing my penname. It'll probably be Jade Moon or something but I'm not sure yet. It will definitely had Jade in it though since that is my name. (grins).


	9. Chapter 8

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **This is all you're gonna get for a few weeks; I'm going home for Christmas break and our home computer broke down. Because of this, you get an extra special chapter….kinda.

* * *

**Carter**: _Hey guys, what's up?_  
**Joel**: _We just heard how you let Olympius right into the Aquabase._  
**Carter**: _Well..._  
**Dana**: _I can't believe you would do something so dumb!_  
**Carter**: _Wait, it wasn't like I just let him in; he looked just like you!_  
**Kelsey**: _Are you saying you couldn't tell ME from a HUGE, UGLY MONSTER?!_  
**Carter**: _Yeah! I mean, no!

* * *

_

It was the growing number of cadets in the commons room that first alerted Eli to a problem. Normally, the commons would have less than a dozen cadets at any given time. Now suddenly, without warning, it was jam packed and extremely loud.

"I wonder what's going on." Ella commented softly as she finally forced her way to her brother's side. He shrugged as Alycia stumbled up to them.

"Someone stepped on my toe. Someone heavy." She pouted. Ella snickered while Eli frowned. He'd just noticed that despite the fact you could barely walk through the crowd, there was a good five feet between him, the girls and the rest of the cadets. Not only that but the majority of the cadets kept glancing at the three of them suspiciously.

"Guys, something's wrong." He murmured and the girls finally took stock of the situation.

"Why are they looking at us like we just stole the Mona Lisa?" Alycia asked worriedly just as Claudia skid to a stop in front of them. She pointed to Eli's room.

"Come on, we have to talk." She told them before grabbing Eli's arm and forcing them into the room. As the door shut and the noise disappeared, they all looked at the tiny girl with worry.

"Claud, do you know why everyone was looking at us oddly?" Ella asked as she sat down on the bed. The Mirinite born girl nodded grimly.

"Piper's been arrested."

"WHAT?!" they yelled in disbelief. Claudia wearily sat down on the bed next to Ella.

"All I know is that Piper was seen by a second year cadet in front of the gym and that someone had spray painted "die, bitch, die" on the wall." She told them solemnly. Alycia sat down on the desk chair hard.

"That does not mean Piper did anything wrong! She could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time." Eli argued. Claudia turned to him with large eyes.

"According to the cadet who saw her, she was holding a spray paint can." She told him softly. Eli shook his head.

"That doesn't mean it was Piper." He insisted. Claudia bit her lip and Ella looked at her worriedly.

"There's more, isn't there?" she asked. Claudia paused.

"Nikki was nearly killed this morning. In her room. According to what she said, the attacker was invisible."

* * *

"Alright, one more time. Where were you at nine o'clock this morning?" Lt. Wright demanded. Piper looked at him contemptuously.

"You cannot interrogate me without my parents present and until they get here, I'm not saying a word." She informed him and then turned to stare out the window. Lt. Wright scowled.

"We know you tried to kill Ranger Harris. Admit it!" he demanded, not noticing Piper's frown of confusion.

"That's enough!" Tommy bellowed from the doorway. The lieutenant jumped and whirled around, ready to curse whoever had interrupted him. The curse stuck in his throat however, when he saw the Commander.

"Sir, she refused to answer any of my questions. She-" He tried explaining but Commander Oliver held up a hand.

"And as you very well know Wright, any minor, be them SPD or not, will have a parent present when being questioned." He reminded him with a glare. Wright nodded miserably. Tommy waved through the door.

"You're dismissed, Lieutenant." He told him. Wright's eyes widened.

"Sir, I am the Lieutenant in charge of--" He started but was once again cut off from the Commander.

"I said, you're dismissed, Lieutenant." He growled. With a contemptuous look at the cadet, Wright walked out. Tommy sighed and turned to stare at his granddaughter. Before he'd even opened his mouth, she was talking.

"I was with Aunt Sydney all morning, Granddad, and I was with Uncle Bridge the rest of the day. I'd just gotten out of working with him when Wright found me and hauled me off. What happened?" She asked him. Tommy sighed in relief and explained about the graffiti'd wall and the cadet who claimed to have seen her.

"…You know I'm going to have to check with Syd and Bridge but for the record, I believe you. Beside, I've seen the wall and I'm fairly certain that's not your handwriting." He told her. She frowned.

"How can you tell?" she asked curiously.

"You dot your i's with a swirl, not a heart." He smiled and she set her jaw.

"This is Nikki's doing." She ground out. Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"I'd refrain from talking like that; you're already being accused of attempting to kill Harris, let's not give them something more to talk about." He warned her. Piper frowned.

"Huh?" she asked, confused. Tommy paused.

"You didn't know about the attempted murder of Ranger Harris this morning?" he asked, surprised. She shook her head.

"I told you, I was with Aunt Syd all morning. Is that was caused such an uproar with Dr. Kalian?" She asked. Tommy nodded.

"Harris was found unconscious by Eddie Gates in her room, a pillowcase wrapped around her throat. He hit the emergency call on the inside door to her room and then performed CPR. She was just reviving when the medics rushed in." he explained heavily. Piper grimaced.

"And because it's no secret I don't like Nikki…"she trailed off in anger. Tommy looked at her.

"There was one more thing. When I went to talk to Harris, she said she didn't see her attacker. She said she'd gotten the upper hand momentarily and was backed up against the wall when a vase was thrown at her and she lost the upper hand. She claims her attacker was invisible." He told her, watching her reaction. Piper smirked and Tommy frowned.

"That proves it wasn't me." She told him. At his puzzled look, she smiled.

"I didn't inherit invisibility, remember? I have the power of psychic shields." She reminded him.

"The question to answer now is, who would want to frame Piper?" Sky asked from the doorway. Tommy shrugged as his daughter hurried over to Piper and began fussing.

"I'm fine, mom. And it has to be someone who knows I have a power, just didn't know which one. They probably assumed I was like the twins and had the power of invisibility. Which, by the way, how did they manage that? I mean, was it technology or was it genetic? And--" she was cut off by Aimee.

"It could have been any number of things. And who would know that?" she asked, looking at Sky. The former red ranger shrugged.

"The entire base knows Troy and Thomas can turn invisible at will. It could be anyone. But who would hate you enough to frame you?" he asked. Piper shrugged.

"Well, I'd say Nikki but since she's the one who was attacked…She'd have to be really mental to strangle herself." She sighed, admitting silently to herself that maybe she was wrong about the older brunette. The adults all nodded as the door opened to reveal a worried Jack and Bridge.

"We may have a problem." Bridge announced. Jack headed to the viewing screen while Bridge sat down.

"We went and checked the security cameras of the wall that was graffiti'd." he explained and pointed up. The occupants in the room watched in disbelief as a person who was quite obviously Piper walked into view with a can and began spray painting the wall. Jack paused the vid and everyone turned to Piper.

"That is not me!" She denied vehemently, a stunned expression on her face. For the next ten minutes the six watched and re-watched the vid but there was no getting around it—Piper had graffiti'd the wall.

"Piper--" Sky began but was cut off by the girl in question.

"It was _not_ me, Dad! How can you even—I mean, I would never…" she trailed off, tears falling from her face. Sky swallowed hard.

"Yet this is proof that you were there." He insisted with a sour look as he said it. Jack and Aimee didn't say a word, just watched Piper as she buried her face in her hands and cried. Bridge laid a calming hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't her, guys. The timings all wrong; she was with me when the incident took place." He reminded them. Sky took a deep breath but was interrupted by Tommy who was re-watching the vid.

"He's right." He said, turning around. At their looks, he replayed the video and then paused it when the Piper look-alike raised the can. He turned to Aimee and Sky. "Since when does Piper write with her right hand? She's a lefty."

Aimee's eyes widened as she looked at the vid. Sky breathed a sigh of relief and went to wrap an arm around Piper's shoulders. She edged away, not looking at him. A flash of pain appeared on Sky's face before he looked down at the table. Bridge and Jack nodded and Tommy looked around.

"So the mystery deepens. I think its safe to say we're dealing with a shape shifter of some kind." He said, sitting down. Piper looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy but dry.

"Which means it could be anyone. It could even be me." She sighed. At their looks, her eyes widened and she held up her hands.

"But its not!" she added hastily. Tommy chuckled and then got back down to business.

"Alright, get to your dorm. We'll figure this out, Piper." He promised. She nodded, getting up. After quickly kissing her mom's cheek and stiffly hugging her dad, she left. Once the doors closed on the Pipers back, Tommy turned to the others.

"She's right though. It could be anyone." He said heavily. Aimee frowned.

"What are we going to do, Dad?" she asked worriedly. He rubbed his nose.

"We'll wait for whoever it is to make another move. They'll un-doubtfully be upset their attempt to frame Piper didn't work. They'll probably wait a few weeks, long enough for most the students to forget about the incident and then strike again. In the meantime, keep an eye on Piper and I'll put B Squad on alert." He decided. Aimee and the others nodded as Tommy set his jaw.

"Whoever it is better be prepared though because I am not going to let this go. Whoever is trying to discredit my granddaughter will pay."

* * *

**End Notes:** Okay, it's officially heating up. Expect a long chapter after I get back from break.

I made a movie trailer for an AU season of MF I've been thinking of writing. The link is on my profile page.

Happy Holidays!


	10. Chapter 9

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I'm an RA now and so updates might be slower than usual cause I have to be in my room a lot more. Luckily, I'm getting a laptop in a week and so will be able to write from the courtesy of my room, but I'm still now sure how often I'll be able to update. In the meantime, enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

**Lothor:** _This is why you never work with family.

* * *

_

"Where are Claudia and Piper?" Alycia asked the next day. Eli looked up, a wicked look on his face.

"They're in the gym getting all sweaty." He grinned. Ella rolled her eyes.

"They're training for their matches tomorrow." She informed her friend. Eli's grin got bigger.

"I stand by my phrase."

* * *

"Alright, now, Thomas favors his left side in a fight, so if you continuously attack his right side, you can get him on the defensive, which, with my brother, is a good thing. He tends to get flustered when he has to go on the defensive." Piper told Claudia. The smaller girl nodded, switching her style slightly so as to better attack the right side of Piper, who was posing as her older brother for the training session. The girls continued training, trading gossip, news, and complaints as they went. Half hour later, both girls were breathing hard and grinning.

"You're going to do well against Thomas, Claud. You have the itty bitty thing going for you, which tens to throw my brother off guard. Plus, you're a really good fighter. I'm not promising you'll be able to beat him. But you'll be able to hold your own." Piper told her as she wrapped a towl around her neck. Claudia nodded, absently punching the air. The oldest Tate girl glanced at her watch.

"I'd stay longer but I have something I have to do." Piper apologized. Claudia looked up, a half smile on her face.

"It's okay, I should probably rest up for tomorrow anyway. Thanks Piper." She nodded. Piper grinned at her and headed for her room.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Piper headed to B Commons and in particular, Nikki's room. As she walked inside, she spotted Ian and Trini watching TV and Thomas immersed in his laptop. With a sigh, she headed to Nikki's door and waited. In a few minutes, the door opened to reveal Nikki lying on her bed, various data pads scattered everywhere. When she saw Piper standing uncertainly in the doorway, she raised an eyebrow but motioned for her to come in.

Piper did so cautiously, aware that if anything happened in the next few minutes, she'd be in a lot of trouble.

"So, the attacker returns to the scene of the crime." Nikki commented icily. Piper winced but refrained from making a smart ass remark. She held out the bowl of chicken soup she'd brought.

"I come bearing gifts." She finally spoke. Nikki glanced at it suspiciously.

"So did the Greeks."

Piper winced again. "It's my grandma Vanessa' famed soup. Troy, Thomas, and I used to beg her to make it for us when we were younger." She explained, setting the bowl on a clear piece of desk space. Nikki's lips twitched, encouraging the younger girl.

"Look Nikki, I know we got off on the wrong foot but you need to know something." Piper paused and Nikki motioned for her to continue. "No matter how I feel for someone, I would never try and kill them. Contain them, maybe, but never kill. It goes against everything I stand for."

"Really? Cause you seemed to have no qualms about trying to kill me." Nikki remarked, her eyes two pools of ice. Piper took a deep breath and let it out.

"It wasn't me." She explained she was with Syd and Bridge all day, up until the point Lt. Wright dragged her off to be interrogated. "The Senior Staff thinks a shape shifter of some kind is trying to discredit me and since everyone knows you and I didn't get along…"

"…whoever it was thought if they attacked me, it'd look pretty damaging for you." Nikki finished something in her eyes hardening. Piper nodded. "Okay, what I don't get is the invisibility thing. If a shape shifter was taking on your form, how'd they become invisible?"

Piper shrugged. "Mom has a couple theories but that's another thing. Whoever's doing this doesn't have all his facts straight. I'm not like Troy and Thomas; I don't have the power of invisibility. I'm like my dad, I produce psychic shields." She explained. Nikki looked surprised.

"Really?" she asked, intrigued. Piper nodded.

"Yeah, it's kinda weird actually. I and my two sisters, Paige and Leila, have dad's power and Troy, Thomas, and Luke all have mom's power. Whoever it is thought I was like the twins." She offered. Nikki frowned.

"So do the Senior Staff think its someone at SPD?" she asked worriedly. Piper nodded.

"I think so. Granddad's working on the investigation." She informed her. Nikki nodded. Piper bit her lip.

"Look I'm sorry all this is happening, you don't deserve to be on this guy's radar. If he wants to attack me, fine, whatever, I just wish he'd leave everyone else alone." She grumbled. Nikki's lips twitched, a smile threatening to break out. She looked down to hide it but it was too late, Piper had seen it.

"Look, I'm really behind in my reports. I'd like to continue this chat, but I think I should get back to work." Nikki spoke suddenly. Piper nodded, somewhat comforted that the old Nikki, the one she was used to dealing with, was resurfacing. Piper stood up and headed for the door. As the door opened, she stopped as Nikki spoke up behind her.

"Don't back down against Eddie tomorrow. Don't throw it so you won't have to fight me. Whoever's doing this needs to know you're not going to break down or give in." The pink ranger told her. Piper glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"Whoever said I was going to throw the fight?" she asked with a playful smirk before walking out.

* * *

The next day was filled with tension and excitement as the tournament continued. Piper's match with Eddie was watched by practically every cadet and instructor that could find space; everyone knew that if Piper beat the older boy, she'd face off against Nikki in two weeks. Half the base thought she was going to throw the match because of what happened while the other half thought she was going to beat the crap out of Eddie so she could get another chance to attack Nikki.

"Oh, that makes me feel _so_ much better." She remarked sarcastically when Eli informed her of this tne minutes before the match. Ella bit her lip from beside her brother.

"Maybe you should...throw it" She suggested hesitantly. Piper, Eli, Alycia, and Claudia all paused and stared at the girl. She shrugged.

"It's just, if you don't beat Eddie, everyone will let go of the whole thing and you won't be so suspicious." She explained, looking uncomfortable.

"Are you crazy? If she throws the fight, she'll look like she's scared of facing Nikki or worse, that she's really guilty of trying to kill her!" Eli exclaimed, staring at his sister as though she had grown a second head. Before Ella could retort, Piper was gone, working her way to the mat.

Ella had been jumpy and guilty ever since the attack and Piper knew it was because part of Ella suspected she really had done something to the pink ranger. It hurt to know that one of four people she had expected to support her one hundred percent didn't. As she stood in the corner of the mat, watching Eddie as he warmed up, she caught Nikki's eye from beside Troy. The older girl nodded to her, reminding her of what she had told Piper the day before. Piper nodded back.

_No way in hell am I throwing this fight.

* * *

_

Piper beat Eddie, just as Nikki had known she would. As good as Eddie was, Nikki wasn't stupid enough to think he could beat the grand-daughter of Tommy Oliver. Eddie on the other hand, couldn't stop complaining and it was really starting to get on her nerves.

"Would you chill? Jeez, you'd think you'd never gotten beaten by a girl before." She commented as they made they're way to her room. Eddie scowled.

"It's different; you're a better fight than that spoiled brat. I don't see why you get to be all mean to her and I have to act indifferent." He complained. Nikki twirled around, her expression one of intense rage.

"Because you moron, you nearly destroyed EVERYTHING with that stunt with the spray paint. They know there's a shape shifter on base now. I swear, if you compromise what I've spent the past twenty years waiting to do, blood or not, I'll KILL YOU MYSELF!" she hissed before stalking to her room. Eddie swallowed heavily and shakily hurried to catch up. As they disappeared from behind B Commons, Thomas Tate stepped out from a closet, intense hatred in his eyes.

"Whatever you're planning, Bitch, you better be prepared for war because no one messes with my family and gets away with it!"

* * *

**End Notes:** The plot thickens….(Grins)

Chapter Eight Reviews:

**BellaCordelia: **Unfortunately, you'll just have to wait…

**angellwings:** You're not wrong…

**Lauren**, **garnetred**, and **the real vampire**, thanks for the reviews for chapter eight.

Chapter Nine Reviews:

**Tierra:** It's very simple-Tommy's Dino gem was destroyed in the final battle with Meso-head. Conner, Kira, and Ethan were able to morph in the future because they're gems were somehow recharged by Kat. There's nothing in canon that says Tommy's dino gem was ever recharged, hence, he couldn't use the black gem in the final battle with Gruumm.

**garnetred:** All will be revealed in time, grasshopper.

Thanks for the review, **general-joseph-dickson**!

BTW, I've been nominated for another award! In the second annual **What A Character Awards**, _Inheritance _has been nominated for Best PRSPD story! Thanks guys, and just a note, nominations are still open so go nominate (preferably for me! grins). The link is on my profile page!


	11. Chapter 10

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Sorry this has taken so long. I've been having issues with idiots firing firecrackers off at two, three, or four in the morning in the hall, making me think gunshots are going off. And I'm getting back in the swing of things with school. Not an easy task, I can tell you!

* * *

**Leo**: _Trakeena was just like her father. Bad to the bone..._  
**Damon**: _Tough as nails..._  
**Leo/Damon**: _...And cute!!

* * *

_

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Thomas, are you positive you heard Nikki threaten Eddie Gates because he screwed up her plan." Ian asked again, worry evident on his face. Thomas nodded.

"For the last time, yes. We've all known Nikki could be psychotic; why are you so surprised she's completely insane?" he demanded. Ian shrugged.

"I just figured someone would've noticed before now." He explained, leaning back against his chair. His sister was sitting on his bed, her arms crossed and her dark eyes bright with worry.

"Have you told the Commander?" she asked. Thomas paused before replying.

"No, and I'm not going to."

"WHAT?! Why not? Piper's life could be in danger!" Ian exclaimed. Thomas stood up and walked over to the window. Gazing outside, he could just see Piper and his dad working with the other cadets on what appeared to be kata number sixteen and two respectively. He sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Evidence. You and I both know the Commander can't do anything without evidence. Besides, I don't think she's going to do anything for a while." He answered. Ian frowned but Trini was nodding.

"If she knows the Senior Staff is working to find out who's causing everything, she's gonna lay low for a while. Besides, from what you told us, her plan was originally to blame Piper attempting to kill her; the spray paint thing Eddie did complicated that." She paused, an odd look on her face. "I still can't believe she went so far as to strangle herself though."

"Thomas, I still think you should tell your mom and dad. Maybe they can help." Ian told him stubbornly. Thomas shook his head.

"No, they're worried over all this, plus they just found out someone keeps breaking into the investigation file. They might make things worse. For now, we keep this to ourselves and try and figure out what her plan is." He decided, sitting down with a sigh. Ian wasn't happy but he finally agreed. Nikki was a member of their squad; who better to find out what she's up to than them?

"How the hell am I going to be able to sleep in the same room with her now?" Trini asked with a disgusted look. Thomas and Ian glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing.

"You have to. She may let something slip to you when you're alone. Besides, you're in the perfect position to keep an eye on her." Ian told her. Trini nodded unhappily.

"I just thought of something," Thomas spoke up suddenly. The Scott siblings turned to him. "She said she'd been planning this for twenty years. She's twenty-one so why has she been planning this since she was a year old?"

"And how does Eddie fit into all this. You said Nikki mentioned something about blood. What was that all about?" Trini reminded him. Ian frowned.

"And why Piper? I mean, those two only met this year, right? And what about Troy? Are we going to tell him?" he asked. Thomas shook his head.

"Troy is so wrapped around Nikki's finger he won't believe anything against her without proof." He told them firmly. "As for Piper, I have no idea."

"Thom, what if, I mean, I don't think its possible but what if…" Ian trailed off, unable to voice his thought.

"…Troy is working with Nikki?" He finished for the older boy. Ian nodded and Thomas shook his head. "Troy may be blind to Nikki's true intentions, but he'd never join her willingly, especially against his family. And I'd be able to feel if she'd turned him evil. No, I'm certain he's oblivious to what his girlfriend's doing."

"Which puts us in a bad place." Trini sighed. The boys looked at her. "Well, we certainly can't go talking about what an evil bitch Nikki is to her boyfriend, now can we?"

"Trini's right. For now, we're on our own."

* * *

"I still can't believe I have to fight Nikki today." Piper commented as she grabbed her clothes from the closet. She and Ella had stopped talking after Ella's suggestion that she throw the fight with Eddie two weeks before. Now, Piper was pretty much living in the commons, sleeping on the couch and using the dorms only to hold her clothes and other essentials. 

"Well, I think you're going to do great." Eli told her. He'd blown up at his sister when he found out what had happened with her and Piper. As much as he loved her, Eli knew Ella was wrong about the two girls.

"And if I don't do well, than, everyone will know I can't beat Nikki senseless. Hopefully they'll let it go." She prayed as she hurried into the bathroom to change. Just as she walked out of the bathroom, Ella walked in from the commons room. Both girls froze, unable to do or say anything.

"Well this isn't awkward." Alycia commented dryly from behind Ella. Claudia glared up at the taller girl.

"Good luck in the competition, Piper. I know you're going to do great." The smaller girl told her. Piper snapped out of her daze to smile at the Mirinite.

"You and Eli been taking the same cheerleading class or something cause he said the same thing about five minutes ago." She teased, glancing at Eli. He smirked.

"Yeah, its called Piper 101: How to Prepare Her to Do Her Best." He shot back. Piper, Claudia, and Alycia all giggled. Ella bit her lip, glancing from person to person before bolting to her room. Piper stared after her, worry clearly evident in her eyes but unable to force herself to confront her friend. Alycia and Claudia sighed and hurried after her. When Piper glanced at him, Eli simply shrugged.

"She'll come around. It might just take a while." He promised. "Now, let's get you to the gym. I'm sure the place is already packed and I want a good seat!"

Eli hadn't been lying for when they arrived, the gym was packed with what looked like everyone but the skeleton crew. Piper swallowed heavily, scanning the area. She paused when she saw Troy sitting with Eddie Gates on Nikki's side of the mat, both sporting pink and black armbands in support of the other girl. She glanced around for his teammates and was startled to see Ian, Trini, and Thomas on her side, sporting red and white armbands, the colors she was being forced to wear for the competition.

"Uh, since when did those three support me over their teammate?" she asked Eli. He glanced at them in surprise and shrugged.

"I have no idea." He replied as Zippy, Jon, and Kelson came up behind them.

"Watch her left arm. She tends to drop her elbow a lot." The older girl advised before hurrying over to join the three members of B Squad. Jon and Kelson followed at a more leisurely pace, informing Eli that they'd save him and the girls seats. Eli nodded, glancing at Piper. She didn't notice, she was trying to figure out how many people were supporting her and was a little disappointed that the majority of the crowd had on some article of pink and/or black—even the guys.

She brightened a little though when she saw her parents, uncles, and aunts all sporting little, barely noticeable red and white handkerchiefs on their right wrist. Her smile widened when she saw her aunt Syd, notorious for wearing all pink all the time, was wearing only a pink pendant uncle Jack had given her for their one year anniversary.

"Technically they're not supposed to show support for any of the participants, but I think they decided to ignore that little rule today." Eli grinned when she pointed this out to him. She smiled.

"Contestants to the mat! I repeat contestants to the mat!" Her grand-dad's voice echoed through the gym as various people scrambled to get seats. Eli gave her a quick hug before heading to his own seat. Piper took a deep breath and headed to her side of the mat. Within minutes she was in the middle of a warm-up kata. As she came to a gradual stop, she could feel the stares of the spectators on her and Nikki. She glanced over and caught the older girl's eye. Nikki nodded and Piper smiled dryly.

"Let's do this." She murmured and went to stand in the middle of the mat with her grandfather. Tommy smiled at Piper and nodded to Nikki when she stopped in front of him.

"Alright, you two know the rules. Three pins and you lose. No lethal attacks, no backstabbing. If your opponents back is turned, you do not attack. Understand?" He asked, glancing between the two girls. They nodded and he smiled.

"Shake hands." He ordered. Piper held out her hand and Nikki took it with a smirk. They shook and stepped back. Tommy nodded as Sky announced the match. Once everything was ready, Tommy held out his hand between the two girls. Without a word, they both fell into their respective fighting stances. Tommy glanced at each girl and then, without warning, blew his whistle, let his arm down, and stepped to the edge of the mat.

"So, any new ideas on the culprit of my attack?" Nikki asked her voice fairly loud in the silence that had descended on the gym. Piper smirked.

"Just what I told you two weeks ago." She replied, figuring the other girl was speaking for her benefit. Nikki had been fairly vocal in her defense of Piper's innocence, but this would prove to the rest of the student population that the pink ranger didn't think Piper was the one who had attacked her. Piper was glad for the intervention. The girls both smirked when the gym began buzzing.

Without warning, Nikki aimed a kick at her head. Piper avoided it and jumped up so as not to get tripped. When she landed she went into a roll and so avoided Nikki's attempt to punch her in the stomach. Still on the ground, Piper kicked back, connecting with the pink ranger's mid-section. Nikki stumbled back, breathing heavily. Piper flipped back onto her feet.

"You know, this is kinda fun." She commented, not seeing the right cross until it was too late.

"Yeah, you're right. Hitting each other is awesome." Nikki replied as Piper got back up. And so it went, both girls fairly well matched in both fighting ability and cutting remarks.

* * *

Up in the bleachers Sky glanced at Aimee and smiled slightly. Listening to the two girls mock each other was eerily like listening to Troy and Thomas bicker. "At least some good has come from Nikki's attack." He commented. Aimee nodded. 

"It finally gave Nikki and Piper a common enemy." She agreed, frowning when she saw Ian and Trini both elbow Thomas sharply in front of them. Sky grimaced as Piper was pinned.

* * *

"You need to tell them." Ian hissed, keeping his voice low so no one but Thomas could hear. Thomas glanced at him and shook his head as Piper tripped up and pinned Nikki. 

"We talked about this, not yet." Thomas whispered back.

"You're nuts Thomas. You need to tell someone." Trini scolded him. Thomas glanced at her with a small smile as Nikki was pinned again.

"I did. I told you guys." He replied. She frowned at him.

"That's not what we meant and you know it." Ian told him, wincing when Piper was pinned for the second time. Thomas ignored him in favor of watching the match. The next one to get a pin would win the match and everyone was eager to see who would come out on top.

* * *

"So, what do you see in my brother? Seriously, he's a nut case." Piper commented, dodging a high kick. Nikki smirked as Troy yelped loudly from the stands. 

"I like his tush." She remarked, knowing it would throw Piper off kilter. Piper paused, a disgusted look on her face as Nikki went in for the kill. Within minutes, Piper was pinned and Nikki had won.

"That was evil." Piper grumbled as Nikki hauled her to her feet to loud applause. Nikki got an odd glint in her eye and smirked.

"I know."

* * *

End Notes: Thanks for all the great reviews and comments. I've decided never to drink/eat anything when reading your responses. It would be bad. 

**Tierra:** (Blushes) I'm glad you like my writing. I personally don't think I'm that good but I'm not gonna argue with you! As for Trent...I'm going with the idea that Trent's gem was recharged by Kat after History, just in case, but that Tommy decided not to recharge his cause he knew he still had the red Zeonizer. Same thing for the Ninja Storm team.

**BellaCordelia: **You are officially an honorary member of the _A "Kill Nikki" Squad_. You're badge will be in the mail shortly.

**the real vampire:** Interesting theory...

Thanks to **general-joseph-dickson**, **EnigmaForum**, and **garnetred** for the reviews!


	12. Chapter 11

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **This chapter goes a bit fast cause I wanted to give you all a prezzie cause I was nominated for more awards (that and you've stuck by me when I didn't expect anyone to). Enjoy!

* * *

**Trip:** (Trying to chat up a girl)_ I picked these flowers... They're prettier than you.

* * *

_

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You can't waltz in and take control, Tommy's in charge of this investigation!" Sky was yelling angrily when Thomas walked into Command Central to speak with Bridge. Thomas paused, confused, when he saw an unknown member of SPD sitting at one the consoles.

"Not anymore. The council is worried that the familial ties the Commander has with the main subject will, and is, clouding his judgment." The Lt. Commander informed Sky in a sweet, patient tone. Thomas blinked, stunned, when his father threw his hands up in the air.

"You do know who you're talking about, right? Tommy Oliver, ranger legend of Earth?" Aimee demanded from Sky's side. The officer gave her a look.

"His actions in the past are exactly why I'm here. He's let his feelings cloud his judgment before." She reminded her. She gaped at her.

"What?! When?" she demanded, shrugging her fathers arm from her shoulder.

"With Kimberly." Tommy answered for him. Aimee turned to him in astonishment. Tommy looked down at her with a look.

"When Kim was kidnapped and Zedd gave us the ultimatum, I chose to pilot the Shogun Zords for Zedd and Rita rather than lose her. I put one person above the needs of the Earth's population, because I loved her." He reminded Aimee gently.

"That decision wasn't just yours, though, the entire team agreed to the plan. And you got the Zords away from Zedd, not to mention Kim and Kat." Sky pointed out. Tommy nodded.

"That's true, but it could have very easily backfired on us." He said. Tommy sighed. "Just let Lt. Commander Myles do her job. She may be able to unravel this for us."

"Dad…" Aimee trailed off, unable to disagree with her father even though she really wanted to. Tommy smiled slightly.

"I know Princess. There are a few things you need to know, however." He told the Commander. Thomas swallowed, silently apologizing to Piper for what he was about to do cause he knew his sister was going to kill him.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but I have to talk to Lt. Commander's Carson." He spoke up. Bridge and Z looked over at him.

"Thomas?" Bridge asked, glancing at the SPD Investigator. He nodded. "Yeah, let's go to my office."

The three SPD personnel left, knowing Sky and Aimee were far from pleased and would be telling Tierra Myles everything they knew.

Bridge's office showcased is humorous and familial personality. There was an entire book case with nothing but Computer magazines, pamphlets, and books. A small bookcase under the window held an eclectic mix of high fantasy, sci fi, and historical fiction novels. His desk was covered in data pads and pictures; almost all of them of the former B Squad and the families each had made. Thomas smiled when he saw a picture of Thomas, Troy, Zack Oliver, and Brandon Landors crawling all over a laughing Bridge, the four boys no older than six years old. Next to it was a picture of Piper, Alycia, Eli, and Ella laughing on the beach that same year, all of four years old.

"Thomas, what's up?" Bridge asked kindly, settling on the couch in the corner with Z. Thomas moved a toaster contraption off an armchair and sat down, catching sight of the Wedding Wall as Troy called it. Over two dozen different pictures from the Landors, Tate, Carson, Oliver, Oliver, and Boom weddings were on display, proving to one and all that B Squad was insane. Thomas sighed and looked at his aunt and uncle.

"Nikki's evil."

"Excuse me?" Z looked at her nephew with an odd expression. Thomas sighed.

"She and Eddie Gates orchestrated the attack on her. And Eddie's the shape shifter. I overheard them talking about it a week ago. Nikki was angry with Eddie because the spray paint wasn't part of whatever plan she had. She said she's been waiting twenty years for this." He explained. Z stared at him in shock while Bridge simply tilted his head.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Z demanded. Thomas looked at his uncle.

"Who better to figure out what Nikki's ultimate plan is than her teammates? Besides, I have no proof except for what I heard." He explained.

"Why tell us? Why not the Commander or your parents?" Bridge asked a knowing glint in his eye.

"Because, the less people who know Ian, Trini, and I are trying to unravel Nikki's scheme, the better. Besides, they'd tell Myles and then we'd never figure it out." He explained. Bridge nodded in acceptance and turned to Z. They spoke to each other telepathically for a few minutes before turning to their nephew.

"Continue what you're doing. We won't tell anyone what's going on, unless something happens to Piper. Agreed?" Bridge asked. Thomas nodded in relief.

"Thomas, we're going to have to be very careful. I'm sure you heard the conversation back there so I won't mention Myles. But someone, I'm thinking Gates since his specialty is computers, has been hacking into various files; files that are confidential for a reason." Bridge explained. Thomas nodded. Without a word, they stood.

"Alright, if you find anything, come and tell us. We're gonna figure this out Thomas, but it may take time." Z ordered. He nodded and left the office, comforted with the fact that two adults trusted him, Ian, and Trini to sort through everything. Now, he just had to talk to Troy without giving anything away.

* * *

"Okay, now I know why public files are public; they're incredibly boring." Alycia complained later that night. She, Ella, and Claudia were studying for their ranger history class, Alycia searching the web for articles concerning the original team.

"You know, Piper's an encyclopedia on ranger info. Maybe we should bring her down." Claudia suggested, glancing at Ella. The brunette bit her lip.

"We're kinda….still not talking." She confided. Alycia turned around in the chair, glancing at Piper's empty side of the room.

"Yeah, I can see that." She commented. Ella looked away, unable to face her friends.

"Ella, why don't you just talk with Piper. You two are best friends, you need to work through this." Claudia told her. Ella scowled.

"First of all, she's hasn't even apologized or told me I was right. I mean, she's hanging out with Nikki all the time now, like they're suddenly best buddies, but did she apologize to me, or tell me that I was right and Nikki's not evil? No, she didn't." Ella griped. Alycia and Claudia exchanged exasperated glances.

"That's because she's waiting for you to make the first move. And you know Piper, saying she was wrong isn't one of her strong points. I think it's a Tate thing." Alycia pointed out. Ella shrugged, going back to her homework.

* * *

"You're a self-centered bastard, you know that?" Piper was yelling when Aimee and Sky walked into their house a few days later. The cadets were all on vacation for four days and the former blue and lunar/green rangers couldn't wait until everyone was back at base.

"Me?! You're the one who can never admit when you're wrong!" Troy yelled right back. Piper's eyes flashed, a second before an invisible wall pushed Troy back into the couch. Smirking at Troy, upside down on the upturned couch, Piper flounced from the room, not even giving her parents a glance. Aimee looked at her husband.

"If those two don't kill each other, I might lend a hand." She remarked, going over to help Troy to his feet.

"What was it this time?" She asked her oldest son as he and Sky righted the couch. Troy scowled but didn't answer.

"She had just gotten back from working out with Nikki when Troy started teasing Piper about her being wrong about Nikki and how he was right, and generally being a smug bastard." Paige commented from the armchair in the corner. Sky looked at his son and nodded.

"Yup, that would about do it." He agreed. Troy looked at his father in annoyance.

"Why can't she just admit she was wrong?" he demanded. Sky smirked at his son.

"Since when has _that_ been a Tate trait?"

* * *

"God, he is so self-centered!" Piper was muttering murderously under her breath as she walked down past the Landors house to the creak that flowed around the property.

When Jack and Syd had first been married, they'd been living in a small apartment on base. When Syd had become pregnant with Brandon, they're eldest, they had decided it was time to get a place of their own. Sky, Aimee, JD, and Ally had all been awaiting the birth of their first children as well and decided to do the same. Aimee had had her heart set on living just outside of town, just as she had been raised just outside of Reefside.

Thanks to Commander Cruger, they'd found a beautiful piece of land with a small stream running through it. As much as Aimee loved it, she knew the land was too big for just one home. Knowing how much it would mean to her, Sky had spoken with Jack, Syd, JD, Ally, Boom, Bridge, and Z and the five families had bought the land together. When the four boys had been born, they were all still living on base but only because the houses hadn't been completed yet. Once the complex was done, they'd christened the property B Squad Acres. They'd been living there ever since.

"Piper?" Eli poked his head above a bush, causing Piper to scream in shock and fall on her butt. Eli was desperately trying to hide his laughter as he fully came into view. Piper's curses died on her throat at the sight of him, clad only in a pair of swimming trunks, his skin glistening with water droplets.

"Swimming? In this weather?" She asked incredulously once she had gotten her bearings back. Eli smiled.

"It's not as cold as it looks. Come on, join me?" He asked encouragingly. She eyed him appraisingly.

"Its tempting, but no. I don't want to get sick." She told him before scrambling up onto a hug boulder that jutted out over the creek. Eli quickly changed into his jeans and followed her.

"What is it with you and high places?" He asked as he settled down beside her, the stream flowing below them steadily. She shrugged.

"Freedom." She replied. He smiled slightly, knowing from years of experience with her and the other girls, that she was being quite literal.

"Being high up makes you feel free?" he asked curiously. Piper nodded.

"Uncle David says it's the Dragonfly in me." She replied, smiling. Eli grinned.

"One of these days, I'm going to get your uncle to tell me what my spirit guide is." He commented. She laughed lightly, glancing at him.

"All you have to do is ask, he'd be more than willing to help you on your journey of the spirit." She told him. He smiled.

"Maybe I will. What do you think? Lion? Cougar? Tiger?" He asked suggestively, waggling his eyebrows. She smacked, him laughing.

"Actually, I'd think you'd be a Rabbit." She told him. He gaped at her and she giggled.

"No, no, hear me out. A rabbit has guile; he's quick-thinking, intuitive, humble. That's you Eli. Plus, even when you're afraid, you face your fears. Whether you like it or not Eli, you're a rabbit. Plus, you make a great pillow." She smirked, lying down so her head was in his lap. Eli chuckled, gently running a hand through her hair.

"A rabbit, huh? Does that mean I'll have lots of little Eli's?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. She smacked him, turning to watch the stream below and he laughed.

"I think you'd make a great dad, Eli. Just like Uncle Bridge." She told him. Eli looked down at her. He smiled.

"Remember when we ten and we decided to camp outside by the stream?" He asked. She giggled.

"It started raining but we'd had to beg our parents to let us that we didn't want to go in." She recalled. Eli chuckled.

"We were sick for a month after that." He laughed. She giggled.

"Eli? Promise me something?" She asked. He looked down at her, studying her face. She was half asleep and he could feel the pull behind his eyes. He yawned.

"What, Piper?" he whispered, leaning back against a rock.

"Promise me that when we're old and gray, we'll still be best friends." She asked. Eli smiled, placing a hand on her waist as he closed his eyes.

"I promise Piper. Friends till the end of time." He whispered just as sleep claimed him.

"He's right Pi, friends forever." Ella whispered from where she'd been watching them from the foot of the boulder. Smiling slightly, she ran back to the house to grab some blankets. Being very careful so as not to wake them up, she gently wrapped a blanket around her brother and another around Piper. Ella paused when Piper opened her eyes a crack.

"I'm sorry Ella." She whispered. Ella smiled.

"So am I, Piper. We'll talk later. Go back to sleep." She whispered, glancing at her twin. He appeared asleep but she knew he was listening to every word. Ella turned back to Piper who smiled brightly at her before closing her eyes and snuggling into Eli's jeans. Ella stifled a laugh and quietly made her way down the boulder. When she landed she found Claudia and Alycia just coming up.

"Hey, I wanted to show Claud Ranger Rock." Alycia greeted her, motioning to the boulder Eli and Piper were on top of. Ella held up a finger and smiled.

"Shhhhh, Piper and Eli are taking a nap." She smiled. The two other girls glanced at each other and grinned. Laughing softly, the three girls headed back up to the Carson house to watch a movie.

* * *

**End Notes:** As I'm sure you've all noticed, I was feeling very romantic while writing the end of this chapter. See, there's this really cute guy down the hall and…yeah. That, and everywhere I went today was reminders that Valentines Day is roughly two weeks away. So, the end is a bit sappy. Though I think listening to love songs all day may not have helped.

Thanks for the reviews: **the real vampire**, **garnetred**, **Lauren**.

**general-joseph-dickson:** Yes, the tush was fun. There will definitely be more info in the future.

**Tierra:** Enjoy your little cameo? (grins)

**angellwings:** If you liked Nikki, then I'm doing my job. That's all I'm gonna say.

_Inheritance_ has been nominated for more awards over at **What A Character Power Rangers Fiction Awards**! _Best Original Character_ for Piper (Ya'll like the Oliver women, don't ya?), _Best OC-PR Couple_ for Aimee/Sky (this is the second time they've been nominated for this category: Yay!), and Best PRSPD Fic. Thanks so much guys!


	13. Chapter 12

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I'm feeling a bit annoyed today. I kinda, accidentally, lost the outline I wrote out. Granted, I'd already started veering way off what I'd planned but still; it had some fun ideas. Hopefully I'll be able to scrounge it up. In the meantime, we're just going to go with the flow. (grins) Also, the quote is technically from the bloopers but I couldn't help it, its too funny. And somewhat appropriate.

* * *

_(during one of the bloopers)_  
**Tommy**: I don't know where the bug is.  
**Blue Senturion**: Uh, anybody seen my stunt double? _(Tommy squashes him with his foot, and Adam begins to cry)

* * *

_

"Hey Troy." Nikki greeted her boyfriend with a kiss on the cheek. Troy eyed her outfit.

It was Halloween and the entire base was taking advantage of being able to get out of the mandatory uniforms and into something fun. He and Thomas had decided to go as Superman and Clark Kent. Nikki on the other hand, was clad in a skin tight outfit worthy of the antihero she was portraying—Electra. Across the table, Ian was dressed as Neo from The Matrix while his sister was dressed as Jubilee from the X-Men. All in all, it was an amusing table to be at.

Across the room, three costumed princesses and a black caped hero walked in. Troy grinned when he realized who his sisters friends had decided to go as; Alycia was Princess Jasmine, Ella was Belle, and Claudia was Mulan. Eli, dressed entirely in black spandex, a black cape, and a bat mask, was quite obviously Batman. He waved them over. After getting breakfast trays, they made there way over to the table and sat down.

"Where's Piper?" Thomas asked. Eli grinned and the girls shrugged.

"Still getting ready." Eli replied. The girls scowled at him and he shrugged, hiding a smile. Nikki raised an eyebrow as Zippy, Kelsen, and Jon came over, dressed as a gothic fairy, a pirate, and a basketball player.

"I take it you know what Piper's coming as?" Nikki asked. Eli grinned and barely avoided annoyed slaps from his friends. Claudia smiled at Zippy, admiring her dark purple wings.

"Nice costume!" she complimented the older girl. Troy scowled at the revealing dress.

"Has granddad seen you yet?" he asked, going into protective cousin mode. Zippy and the girls, including Nikki and Trini, rolled there eyes. Eli was smirking at something from behind Troy.

"Maybe you shouldn't be as worried about Zippy as you should be about Piper." He told him. Troy frowned and turned around. His jaw dropped.

Making her way to their table, was his sister, swaddled in shiny black, skin tight spandex. Cat ears poked out from her now blonde highlighted hair. On her feet were towering stiletto heeled, thigh high boots. Eli swallowed thickly as she gingerly sat down, grinning at all the stunned looks. Nikki smirked approvingly at her and Piper's eyes crinkled.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?!" Troy asked in tone of voice that barely hid his anger. Nikki glanced at her boyfriend.

"She obviously opted for a come-as-you-are costume, right Pipe?" She prompted knowingly.

"She thinks she's a pussycat?" Troy was stunned at how far off base his sisters view of herself was.

"Of course not," The spandexed girl said. "I'm….catty."

"Catty. Get it?" Eli asked—unnecessarily since everyone had cracked up at Piper's answer.

"Actually, I'm Catwoman." Piper explained nodding to Eli as Batman. "We thought it'd be fun."

Troy's jaw twitched as he regarded his sister's outfit and the reactions it had gotten. Trini shook her head.

"Hey, it's nothing worse than what your girlfriends wearing. In fact, Nikki's outfits more revealing." She pointed out lightly. Troy frowned at her.

"Nikki's not my sister!" he argued. He turned back to Piper, who was watching him with amusement. "Just wait until mom and dad see you."

She snorted. "Who do you think paid for this getup?" she asked, and smirked when Troy's jaw dropped again. Next to him, Thomas stifled a laugh. He'd been present when Piper had requested the money for the outfit and their dad had been very reluctant to allow his daughter wear the outfit but knew he'd get in trouble with Aimee since technically it wasn't that much worse than the ranger armor they wore.

"We'll see about that." Troy muttered as Sky and Aimee walked in, both dressed in blue jeans and matching black t-shirts both wearing the legend Em. Piper tilted her head as they walked over, trying to figure out what, exactly, her parents were supposed to be. It was Zippy who got it first.

"Eminem!" She exclaimed, laughing as Sky and Aimee grinned. Aimee looked her children over. She smiled.

"Oh, we're definitely getting pictures this year." She exclaimed, admiring Piper's outfit. Aimee's gaze slid over Nikki and she giggled.

"Oh yes, I definitely want a picture of you two." She motioned to Piper and Nikki. The girls glanced at each other and shrugged. Aimee was rattling off how many pictures she wanted, who would be in each picture and such as Sky, shaking his head with an amused grin, directed his wife to the senior officer table. Piper, curious to what her aunts, uncles, and grand parents were dressed up as, studied them. She grinned. Jack was dressed as Robin Hood, Syd was Maid Marian, Bridge was Peter Pan, Z was Tinkerbell, Boom was an elf, and Tommy and Kat were dressed as a King and Queen.

"You know, I'm not sure which table is more amusing, theirs or ours." She commented, turning back to find her friends laughing at Troy who was steaming over the casual dismissal his father had given Piper's outfit. Piper shifted as she felt her chest tighten a little, making it difficult to breath.

"Piper, are you okay?" Eli asked, concerned. She shot him a grin as her chest loosened.

"Yeah, I think its just a little tight." She told him, brushing it off. Eli grinned as he gave her a once over.

"But how nice it looks." He teased. Piper grinned as Ella smacked him upside the head.

* * *

Throughout the day, as Piper went about her normal routine of classes, the chest pains and bouts of breathlessness increased. Stubbornly believing it was because of how tight the outfit was, she dismissed it and continued her day. As she was changing into her pajamas that night however, she felt another wave hit her, and realized she couldn't ignore it anymore. She grabbed onto the table, causing Ella to shoot her a look of concern.

"Piper, are you okay?" She asked, sounding as from a tunnel. Piper's vision blurred as she looked up at her friend.

"I think…something's wrong." She muttered before collapsing.

"PIPER!" Ella screamed, rushing forward to catch her friend. She wasn't quick enough and the taller girl hit her head on the table.

"Piper, please, wake up! Someone, help me!" She screamed, cradling the unconscious girl in her arms. "Piper, please, wake up! HELP ME!"

"PIPER!" Zippy burst through the door, a look of horror on her face as she looked at her cousin's still form. Without thinking she slapped the medical emergency button just inside the door and rushed forward just as Eli, Claudia, and Alycia crashed in.

"She's not breathing!" Ella cried, holding onto Piper for dear life. Zippy forcibly removed Ella from her cousin, placing her in the care of Claudia and Alycia. Eli was already positioning himself and Piper to perform CPR. As the two worked in tandem, Zippy pressing on her chest; Eli breathing into her mouth, Ella, Claudia, and Alycia could only stand and watch. The moment the medical personnel arrived, Piper started breathing again. She didn't regain consciousness but at least she was breathing.

"What happened?" Dr. Linden demanded as he knelt down to check on the girl. Zippy turned to Ella.

"I—I don't—kno-know." The girl spoke through tears. "We were chang--changing and then she--she grabbed the table and then—then collapsed. She hit her head."

"Get her to ICU. She's in a coma." Dr. Linden ordered as two EMT's placed Piper on the gurney. Ella burst into a fresh wave of tears at how limp Piper looked as she was moved. Eli, Ella, Alycia, Claudia, and Zippy followed the medical personnel through the base, aware of the shocked stares from fellow cadets. When they arrived at the medical wing, the five cadets were unable to go into Piper's room, instead confined to the waiting area. Five minutes had barely passed when Tommy and Kat rushed in. Tommy paid the cadets no heed and walked into the room where Dr. Linden was hooking Piper up to various machines. Kat, on the other hand, went to the cadets.

"What happened?" She asked gently. Ella repeated what she had told the Medical team. Kat nodded.

"Did she tell you she was feeling unwell? At all?" She asked gently. Ella shook her head.

"Right before she collapsed she said something was wrong but that was it." She told her, more calmed now that Piper was being looked after. Kat glanced at the others and frowned at the ashen faced Eli.

"What's wrong?" She asked. He swallowed.

"This morning at breakfast, she said the outfit was too tight. I think she was having trouble breathing." He said, berating himself mentally for not realizing something was wrong sooner. Kat nodded and went inside to talk to the doctor.

* * *

An hour passed with no change from Piper. Sky and Aimee had arrived ten minutes after Tommy and Kat, Sydney with them. Using her position as CMO, Sydney transferred Piper into her own care. Twenty minutes later, JD showed up with Zippy's younger brother Kevin and younger sister Kelsie, as well as Paige, Luke, and Leila Tate. Within two hours, the Medical Wing's waiting room was crawling with Tommy's children and grandchildren, as well as Sky's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nieces and nephews. Sydney and Kat had been working non-stop to determine what had happened with no visible luck. And as they worked, Piper's conditions slowly deteriorated.

"Bridge, we should tell them." Z murmured, motioning to Tommy, Sky, and Aimee. He glanced at her knowing she was thinking of Nikki. He shook his head.

"There's no way to prove this has to do with her." He reminded her, catching sight of Thomas and Troy standing guard at Piper's door. Nikki and Trini were just outside the Medical Wing entrance while Ian was in the Command Center. Bridge had called up C Squad to help B Squad guard the base. Eddie Gates, he kept in the medical wing while Zippy, Kelson, John, Gavin, and Michelle were sent to patrol the corridors.

"I know, but I don't like the idea of having Nikki and Eddie anywhere near Piper right now." She argued. She suddenly fell silent when she noticed her husband was reading Eddie and Nikki, though in a way no one but she could tell. He frowned, puzzled.

"Either they have no idea what's going on, or they've learned to trick my empathy." He told her. She bit her lip, motioning for him to go on. "Nikki's worried like crazy and Eddie is just confused."

"So there's another player in the game?" Z demanded. Bridge nodded.

"If this isn't simply an accident or something, then yes, it would appear so."

* * *

**End Notes:** And the plot thickens….

Thanks to **EnigmaForum**, **Lauren**, **general-joseph-dickson**, **the real vampire**, and **garnetred** for the reviews.

**Tierra:** They're one in the same, I guess I didn't make that clear. Oh well. I'm glad you liked your cameo. (grins)

Also, if anyone would like a map/architectural plan of B Squad Acres just let me know. I was really bored the other day and designed homes and the actual complex and…yeah. I'll put them up at Jaded Rose if anyone's interested.

Again, I've been nominated for a bunch of stuff at the 2007 What a Character Ranger Fiction Awards. Inheritance has been nominated for Best OC (Piper), Best OC-PR Romance (Aimee/Sky), and Best PRSPD. Additionally, Lonely has been nominated for Best Wild Force Fic. Yay! The link is in my profile and voting is now up so go and vote! Please?


	14. Chapter 13

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I couldn't find my outline and so I re-wrote it. Even though I only faintly remember what I wrote out before, I think this outline is mucho better. It's a little bit more…involved. (grins).

* * *

**Rita Repulsa:** _I hate it when I have to pack in a hurry. I always feel like I'm forgetting something.

* * *

_

By seven the next morning, Piper has stabilized though hadn't woken up. Sydney was still working on figuring out what had happened with no success. Piper was healthy; there were no toxins, poisons, or any other chemicals in her body that could cause harm. In fact, if it weren't for the fact she was in a coma, Sydney would have said she was in better health than the majority of the planet.

Despite this knowledge, Sydney ordered all tests be done twice more. Then she, Aimee, and Kat began the arduous task or researching the symptoms…of which there were very few. Luckily, with everything had happened, Lt. Tierra Myles had officially declared Piper innocent in the attack on Nikki and agreed with Sky and Tommy that someone was after, not the pink ranger, but Piper. Now, they had just to figure out who. Lt. Commander Myles had been ordered to remain on Earth until the mystery was solved.

Meanwhile, B Squad were taking their anger out in daily training; maintaince had been forced to replace two punching bags after B Squad had gotten their hands on them. C squad was still on alert and the remaining members of the Quintet were being forced to endure classes where everyone kept asking about Piper.

Sydney just knew she was going to end up fixing whichever four unfortunate cadets were partnered with Eli, Alycia, Ella, and Claudia at Hand to Hand that afternoon.

* * *

"Okay, this is odd." Piper muttered to herself as she slowly sat up to find herself in a lush jungle. The last thing she remembered was feeling like she was suffocating then….waking up here.

"Where ever here _is_." She mumbled as she gingerly stood. Once on her feet, she looked around more intently while mentally taking stock of her current health. With the exception with a small buzzing in the back of her head, she felt fine. Better than fine, in fact. She felt at peace, at home.

"I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore, Toto." She muttered to herself, seeing the walls of vines, trees, and….she blinked. A woman in a green bikini?

"Hello child." The woman approached, smiling gently when Piper went into a fighting stance.

"Who are you?" she asked, feeling something like recognition. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"If you think on it, you'll know who I am." The woman replied, leaning easily against her staff. Piper slowly went out of her fighting stance as a name came to her, as well as stories she had been told as a child.

"You're Dulcea, the woman who tripped Granddad when his head became too big for his body." She grinned. The Master Warrior laughed and nodded.

"Yes, I am." She acknowledged. Piper frowned.

"Okay, question? How did I get on Phaedos? I could've swore I was on Earth a minute ago." She asked, watching the woman curiously. Dulcea smiled.

"You're still on earth. Physically at least." She explained. Piper tilted her head.

"If I'm physically still on Earth then….I'm here mentally?" she asked. Dulcea nodded. Piper slowly nodded.

"Okay, so I'll pinch myself and wake up." She decided, going to do just that. Dulcea's gentle laugh stopped her.

"I'm afraid its not that easy, child. You're here astrally and will continue to remain here until your training is complete." She explained, gently sitting onto a stump Piper hadn't noticed before. Piper frowned, anger seeping into her eyes.

"You're going to keep me here against my will?" she demanded. Dulcea shook her head.

"Not I, but Hemera. It was through her that your power will come and it is through her decision that your training must commence." She explained. Piper's eyes flashed.

"Okay, where's this Hemera so I can kick her ass?" She asked. Dulcea laughed again, causing Piper to bristle.

"I'm afraid she hasn't an ass to kick. Hemera has passed from even the Astral Plane." She smiled gently at the angry teen. Piper growled in annoyance.

"So how is she keeping me here?" she demanded. Dulcea smiled.

"Hemera's power works in many ways." Was her answer. Piper scowled.

"Look, I'd love to stay, but I kinda have to get going. Sorry. It was nice meeting you." She waved and began walking away. Back in the clearing, Dulcea shook her head as a white falcon flew over. Dulcea looked at it.

"You're grandchild is just as stubborn as you." She murmured to it. The falcon gave her a reproachful look and Dulcea smiled.

"No, Swiftwing, both Aimee and Piper get their stubbornness from you and Tommy. Don't even attempt to deny it because you know it's true."

_**

* * *

**_

"Sydney!" Sky called out in panic from Piper's room. Sydney shot Jack a look before running inside. She blinked. Everything seemed fine.

"Sky, whats wrong?" She demanded, looking at the computers. Sky pointed to Piper's left arm where a thin line of blood had pooled. Sydney gaped for a second before pushing her former teammate out of the way. Snapping on gloves, she gently lifted Piper's arm and inspected the wound. She frowned.

"It looks like a scratch. How'd that happen?" She muttered.

"It just appeared." Sky spoke up, her eyes filled with worry. Sydney sighed and grabbed a bandage. Once the scratch was taken care of, she looked at Sky.

"I'm putting her under constant physical supervision. If this happens again, call me." She ordered before leaving to find one of the medical cadets. Sky sat back down, gently grabbing Piper's limp hand in his own. He looked at his daughters face, pale but peaceful. He could feel the tears forming behind his eyes and didn't move when a single tear fell down his cheek.

"Piper…."

* * *

"Okay, I give." Piper announced as she walked back into the clearing roughly an hour later. Her uniform was soaked, her right arm was torn and slightly bloodied from where a branch has scratched it, and she knew she was very likely to get lost. She had absolutely horrible sense of direction; she'd decided to return to the clearing ten minutes after leaving and it'd taken her fifty minutes to actually get back. Dulcea looked up from speaking with a man in shadows.

"Oh?" Dulcea asked with a raised eyebrow. Piper scowled at her before plopping onto the stump Dulcea had been on before.

"I'm not leaving anytime soon, am I?" she asked resignedly. Dulcea and the mystery man smiled. Piper barley noticed, she could have sworn she had just heard her dad's voice.

"You did. When someone who you love is speaking to you with great emotion, you'll hear them. Eventually, you'll be able to look in on them and keep track of what they're doing." The man explained. Piper eyed him, he looked familiar but she knew she'd never met him before.

"No, you haven't. At least, not physically, I've been dead for nearly forty years." He explained. Piper's brow furrowed. _How had he…?_

"I can hear your thoughts, you're projecting very loudly sweetie." He told her before she could ask. Piper's eyebrows shot up.

"One, don't call me sweetie. Two, stop answering my questions before I ask them." She told him irritably. Dulcea chuckled.

"You're definitely Tommy's granddaughter." She smiled. Piper grinned.

"You got that right lady!" she agreed. The man laughed.

"Oh, I don't know. Vanessa and Michael always said I had a 'special personality.'" He chuckled. Piper frowned.

"You know grandma and grandpa?" she asked, surprised, a feeling of expectancy starting in her stomach. The man smiled and finally stepped into the light. At the sight of him, her heart stopped.

"You're dead." She blurted out in shock. He laughed again.

"Physically, yes. But that doesn't mean I don't live on in the astral plane." Troy Tate, late red ranger and father of Sky Tate, told her. She stared at him, seeing the familiar face she'd only ever seen in her dad and grandparents photos.

"Dad's gonna kill me." She murmured suddenly. Troy looked startled and Dulcea hid a laugh.

"Why is Schuyler going to kill you?" he asked, worriedly. She gave him a look.

"Cause the one thing he wants most in the world has always been to see you again." She told him. His eyes softened.

"He has. Every day of his life when he looks in the mirror. I'll never die, not so long as he lives."

* * *

"Bridge, I don't know. It's very odd. The scratch appeared from nowhere but according to the scan I did on it, there was wood in the wound." Sydney explained to her friend as she watched Sky through the Plexiglas. They remained silent as Eli, Ella, Alycia, and Claudia walked into the room. Sky finally looked up. Neither former ranger could hear what was said but Sky got up and left. Sydney smiled when the four cadets arranged themselves in chairs around her, Eli taking the seat Sky had vacated. Her smiled widened when Eli gently grabbed Piper's hand.

"Once she wakes up, I'm having a very long talk with that girl about how oblivious she is." The former pink ranger mumbled. Bridge laughed softly in agreement. His laughter stopped suddenly, however, when Ella raised a hand to her mouth in shock. Without a word, he hurried inside.

"Eleanora, what's wrong?" He asked gently, Sydney looking at the machines again. Ella's eyes were wide as saucers as she looked down at Piper's body.

"She's not there." She whispered. Bridge's frowned a minute before the meaning of her words hit him. With a worried expression, he quickly tugged off his glove and waved it over Piper's prone form. What he saw made his stomach drop.

Piper may have been there physically but aura wise, she was blank; her spirit was not in her body.

* * *

After getting over the shock of seeing her grandfather for the first time ever, Piper had started questioning Dulcea. The Master Warrior kept sweeping the questions away, however, as she led the way to where her training would take place.

Finally, on the top of a great pile of boulders, Piper stopped. Dulcea paused and turned around.

"Piper, come. We must get to the ruins before sundown." She instructed her. Piper shook her head.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me whats going on. Why am I here, why do you have to train me?" She demanded, not budging. Troy looked at her.

"Because you're the Champion."

* * *

**End Notes:** I decided to upload this chapter now instead of Tuesday cause I'm a very impatient person. Hope you enjoyed!

**general-joseph-dickson:** _"…Nikki does feel concern…" _There's a reason for that…

**Tierra:** I would love to be VBF's! And you have the same rank as Sky. Sorry. (grins)

Thanks to **the real vampire** and **Lauren** for the reviews!

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!


	15. Chapter 14

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I officially have a three ring binder with all my Heritage stuff in it. Including the chapter outlines for all four fics. Oh, and this is an especially long chapter cause its gots a story in it!

* * *

_(On Rita and Rito)_

**Tommy**: _Oh great. The Addams Family's back.

* * *

_

**Astral Plane**

"Champion? Champion of what?" Piper asked the moment the shock wore off. Dulcea smiled at her and continued walking. Piper scrambled to catch up. "Dulcea, seriously, what does that mean?"

"Piper, she's not going to answer until we get to the plateau. Have patience." Troy told her as he walked after the master warrior. Piper shot him a look.

"Since when has any Tate been patient?" she asked rhetorically. Troy smirked.

"I'll have you know, my mother was a very patient woman. She had to be, raising me." He replied dryly. Piper giggled.

"You were a hellion, if I remember Grandma's words correctly." Piper smiled. Troy laughed.

"She would say that. Constantly getting into trouble, that was me." He agreed. Ahead of them, Dulcea smiled.

"You're still getting into trouble, Troy." She called over her shoulder. Piper snickered at the look on her grandfather's face.

"Women are always ganging up on me." He shook his head as they finally arrived at the great staircase that led to the top of the plateau. As Piper walked up, she couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful everything was. And how high.

"How high up is the plateau?" she asked. Troy studied her.

"Very high. You're not afraid of heights, are you?" He asked worriedly. She shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"No way, I love heights. Uncle David says it's because my animal guide is the Dragonfly." She explained. Troy chuckled.

"That makes sense. Is your uncle David you're mom's brother?" He asked curiously. Piper paused.

"No, he's Grandpa Tommy's older brother. Haven't you looked in on them?" she asked. Troy sighed.

"It's too hard sometimes. Looking in, not being able to say hi. I watched your parents wedding and when you and your siblings were born but…" he trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"Oh." She continued walking. "We're you watching when dad morphed for the first time?"

"Yes." He chuckled. "I was also watching when he morphed into red for the first time. That's when I decided I liked Jack."

Piper laughed. "You didn't like him before?" She asked. Troy shrugged.

"Its not that I didn't like him, it was that he had what my son wanted and I desperately wanted to give that to him so…there was a little bit of resentment there." He admitted. Piper nodded.

"What do you know about my mom?" She asked. He tilted his head.

"She was the Lunar Ranger and then the Green Ranger. And she and Sky were 'engaged' when they were three. Oh, and I always knew they'd end up together. That's about it. Why?" He asked, curiously. Piper paused, looking at him oddly.

"They were engaged when they were three?" she asked, confused. Troy nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, there's only a year difference between. They met when they were four and three, I think it was. We were all at the Annual Barbeque and they kept chasing each other and your mom kept calling Sky 'Honey,' which, now that I think about it, was why Sky kept chasing her. I told Vanessa, Tommy, and Abigail that they were going to marry one day. Two years later Tommy stopped bringing the kids to the Barbeques because they made Abigail feel uncomfortable. I never really saw Aimee after that. Why?" he asked curiously. Piper was grinning as she realized she now knew something her parents didn't about themselves.

"I don't think mom and dad remember that. They've certainly never mentioned it to me." She told him. Troy chuckled.

"I wouldn't be surprised, they were really young." He reminded her as they arrived to the last few steps. Whatever Piper was going to say, however, stuck in her throat when she saw the ruins.

"Oh wow." She murmured as she stepped onto the plateau. It was just like granddad had described it in his stories. "It's beautiful."

"Welcome to the Ancient Ruins of the Ninjette Temple."

* * *

**Earth**

"Well this sucks." Ella groaned as she got her science test back. Bridge gave the cadets a sympathetic look and continued passing tests back. "At least dad isn't too upset."

"What did you get?" Eli asked. Ella held her paper up, the red 71 circled in the upper right corner. Eli grimaced.

"Well, you did better than I did at least." He told her, flashing his 62 at her. Alycia sighed when Claudia meekly showed her 70.

"Guys, this is bad. None of us can concentrate." Alycia sighed. "We might as well resign cause at this rate we're going to get kicked out of the academy."

"Piper'll kill us if that happens." Eli muttered, placing his test into his backpack. The three girls froze. Up until then they'd refrained from saying her name out loud. Eli swallowed heavily and looked at the girls when the bell rang.

"Wanna go check on her before math?" He asked. Ella, Alycia, and Claudia nodded and the four cadets rushed away.

* * *

**Astral Plane**

"Okay, Dulcea, can you pretty please with a cherry on top tell me about this Champion business?" Piper pleaded. The Master Warrior shot Troy an exasperated look.

"She's worse than you." She groaned. Piper grinned as Troy stuck out his tongue.

"In order for you to understand your destiny, you must first know the history of the Guardians of Balance." Dulcea explained, settling down around the fire. With a few soft spoken words the fire flared to life. Piper blinked as she felt the heat across her body. Settling into a comfortable position against a rock, she didn't object when Troy sat down next to her. Dulcea smiled at the two.

"The Guardians of Balance came into existence the moment the universe did. Born from Cosmos, the spirit of the universe, they were created as light and dark, female and male." As Dulcea spoke, Piper could see something happening in the fire; figures were forming in the flames; a couple, radiant in a golden light.

"Hemera was the Lady of Light, Good personified in female form. Her husband was Aether, the Lord of Light and good personified in male form." Dulcea explained as two new figures appeared, darker, more sinister, glowing in silver.

"Nyx was Hemera's opposite. Evil personified in female form, she was the Lady of Darkness. Her husband was, accordingly, the Lord of Darkness and evil in male form, Lord Erebus." Dulcea spoke softly, reverently, as she continued her story.

"The four fought, as good and evil are wont to do. They were worshipped across the cosmos but neither ever gained the upper hand. Until Apate was conceived." She sighed.

"Apate?" Piper asked, entranced. Dulcea nodded.

"Before, all of Nyx and Erebus warriors, including her four fiercest, had been born into the balance and _chose_ evil over good. Apate was the child of Nyx and Erebus, and so was _born_ evil. She was a hellion and the balance tipped heavily. It was dark times and eventually, even Nyx and Erebus realized something had to be done before all of reality was destroyed. In a decision worthy of their maker, Nyx and Erebus agreed to hand the child over to Hemera and Aether who would lock her away in a spirit realm until such a time that Hemera conceived as well. Once she did, the balance would be completely restored.

"However, Nyx hid away her four fiercest warriors so that when Apate was released once again, she would not be abandoned. For the Guardians knew their time on the mortal plane was ending. Hemera also knew this and so she and Aether chose never to conceive." Dulcea sighed.

"Bet that didn't last long." Piper grinned. Troy elbowed her as Dulcea shot her a look. Piper bit her lip meekly. "Sorry."

"You're correct. Discovering their plan, Nyx, in a fit of rage, gave Hemera a conception potion, which, unfortunately, worked. Before the child was born, however, Hemera took the child's soul and placed it in the care of Chronos." Dulcea explained. Piper nodded, remembering the story Kat had told her once as a child when she was staying the night while her parents went on a mission.

"The Lord of Time." She murmured. Dulcea nodded, a pleased look flitting across her features.

"Chronos agreed to take the child but he warned her that he could not keep Tyche, the child of light, forever. Eventually, she would have to be released and so born. Hemera agreed, believing, correctly so, that by that time she and her companions would be gone from the mortal realm and so Apate and Tyche would never learn of their conjoined destinies." Dulcea explained. Piper frowned.

"But Nyx knew that too, didn't she? She had those four warriors to teach Apate. Tyche would be defenseless when she was born." Piper whispered, a feeling of realization starting in the pit of her stomach. Dulcea nodded slowly.

"Yes, and so Hemera arranged for warriors of light to teach her, guide her, and protect her. She created the Great Power and many others that are used as the basis of ranger powers. Her short term plan was for these powers to give warriors of light the ability to protect the innocents of the universe. Her long term plans, however, were known only to her and her husband but I believe, in my heart, that they were meant also to protect the child of light when she was born." Dulcea whispered reverently. Piper swallowed.

"Okay, so what does that have to do with me?" Piper asked, even though she suspected she knew the answer.

"When the Guardians returned to the soul of Cosmos, they had not released Apate and Tyche was still in the care of Chronos. Hemera, in accordance with Nyx, made the prison in which Apate lived unbreakable until such a time that the child came into the universe. Then, the prison would shatter, releasing the spirit of Apate and her four warriors. The spirits of Tyche's Protectors would be released as well; however, they would never be reborn into mortal flesh unless a human willingly gave them access to their own body." Dulcea explained. The Master Warrior took a deep breath and stared Piper in the eye.

"_You_ are Tyche reborn." She intoned. Piper swallowed.

"I was afraid of that."

* * *

**Earth**

"What the hell do you mean Nikki's evil?!"

Bridge winced but didn't back down from the irate man. "I'm sorry for not telling you three sooner, but I believed it was the best course of action. The less people who knew, the better chance we had of finding out what she and Eddie are up to." He explained to his former roommate. Aimee and Tommy didn't say anything but Bridge could sense the annoyance from his friend and the reluctant acceptance in his commander.

"Bridge, she tried killing my daughter!" Sky snapped. Bridge shook his head.

"No, she didn't. I read her Sky, she has no clue what happened." Bridge explained. Aimee frowned.

"Is it possible she tricked you?" Aimee asked, ignoring the incredulous look her husband was throwing her. Bridge shook his head.

"No, I checked both her emotions and her aura. She isn't like what I feel when I'm around those who've chosen to be evil. Her aura is clean. In fact, except for the fact it's a bit darker shade than normal, she's pure red." He explained as Sky steamed. Aimee nodded, a frown on her face.

"Red means passion, love, hate, and energy, right?" Tommy asked. Bridge nodded.

"It's not an evil color. If it were crimson, than I'd be worried but its not." Bridge replied.

"But you did say it was darker than normal, right?" Sky asked, forcing himself to calm down. Bridge nodded slowly.

"But only slight and its possible it's only darker because of the anger she was projecting. And before you ask, she was angry that Piper'd been injured." Bridge answered. Tommy sighed, a thousand possible scenarios flitting across his thoughts. Unfortunately, he kept coming back to the same conclusion, one he didn't like.

"She's being controlled, isn't she?" Aimee asked, glancing at her father. Sky lifted his face with a horrorstruck expression. Tommy slowly nodded.

"It certainly sounds like it."

* * *

**Astral Plane**

It took a while for Piper to wrap her mind around the idea that she was Tyche. In fact, by the time she had reluctantly accepted it was possible, the sun had risen half way to the sky. Stretching, she wandered over to where her granddad was stretching.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked, somewhat timidly. Troy glanced at her briefly before nodding.

"Of course." He agreed. With practiced ease, Piper dropped to the ground. Within ten minutes, they were both immersed in their respective katas.

"_I just don't get it. Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Sky demanded. Sydney sighed. _

"_I don't know Sky." She told him gently. The L. Commander scowled. "What I can tell you is that no one on record has ever left their body for so long before. I don't know what effect this will have on her once she wakes up…**If** she wakes up."_

"_She has to wake up Syd. She's my baby, I can't…I can't lose her." Sky whispered his voice rough as he fought off tears. He grabbed Piper's limp hand and squeezed. _

"_Please wake up sweetheart." _

With a gasp, Piper fell from her kata and to the ground. Starring up at the sky, she thought of her father's voice. Troy suddenly entered her vision, gently helping her to sit up. He wiped at her cheeks, which Piper hadn't realized were wet. She'd been crying.

"What did you see, Princess?" He asked gently. She swallowed.

"I saw…I saw me. And Dad. And Aunt Syd. They were—I was…" She took a deep breath. "They're worried I won't wake up. Dad was crying…I've never seen him cry before…"

"I'm so sorry, Princess." Troy whispered, holding her to him. Turning into his chest, Piper let loose as he held her in his arms. So like her father and yet so obviously not.

"What you saw was the present. You saw your father, aunt Syd, and your body as they are right now. Meditation is a good way to tap into the astral plane as well as the mortal plane." Troy gently explained as Piper cried into his shirt. Sniffling, she looked up at him.

"I have to let them know I'm okay, I have to, Grandpa, he's so worried…" She whispered, barley noticing the shine in his eye at the term Grandpa. Dulcea cleared her throat.

"Will you train?"

Piper looked up, startled, as the question filtered through her brain. "I just saw my dad, in the most pain I've ever seen him in, and you're asking me that?!" She demanded, infuriated. Dulcea simply looked at her.

"If we send a message to them that you're alright, will you train?" Dulcea asked. Piper's fury abated as she realized what the Master Warrior was doing. Either way, Sensible-Piper knew she had to be trained, even if Not-So-Sensible-Piper didn't like it. Dulcea was giving her a small gift, a trade off of sorts.

"Yes. If I can speak with a member of my family, let them know whats going on, I'll stay and train. If not, I'll sit here until I go home and since Tyche's not meant to stay in the astral realm…" she trailed off, the threat staining the air. Dulcea nodded.

"Very well, I'll bring a member of your family here to speak with you. Who will it be?"

* * *

**End Notes:** I like this chapter cause it explains a whole lot.

**Tierra:** Why don't you just send it to my email address? Its allaartcm adams .edu (take out all the spaces).

**general-joseph-dickson**, **Lauren**, **garnetred**, and **the real vampire **Thanks for the reviews!

By the way, I completely revamped the entire characters section at JadedRose for Heritage. And I added a lot of new pics! And I kinda…changed the actress who portrays Alycia. The original actress, Monique Coleman, looks a little young compared to the others. Technically, so does the actress playing Claudia but that's supposed to be that way. Oh yeah, and I added a lot of the new characters seen in this chapter so if your looking for faces to go with the names, check out the Character Section of the Heritage Series on JadedRose.

I hope everyone had a good V-Day! I certainly did, I got a secret Valentine (still have no idea who it's from) and I got to give this guy I have a crush on a massage. Hmmmmm...(smiles dreamily).


	16. Chapter 15

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Wow. I've been out of it for a week. The flu really sucks!

* * *

_(from end credit outtakes)_  
**Bulk:** _Something's seriously wrong here._  
**Skull:** _Yeah! We've been in high school a little too long...

* * *

_

_Astral Plane_

"What the..." Tommy snapped to attention. The last thing he remembered was going into a meditative kata and now he wasn't on earth. In fact, it looked like he was on…

"Phaedos." He whispered to himself as the sounds of a fight finally penetrated his foggy mind. He frowned and followed the sounds up the great staircase he remembered from his first visit. As he stepped into the old ruins he felt the power of the Ninjette wash over him and his throat constricted at the familiar feeling. He'd never admit it, but he'd missed the power of the falcon, the one power he always knew was solely his. No one else would ever be the Falcon, it was and always would be his animal spirit. He knew the others felt the same way, including Kim. Kat never understood their devotion to the Ninjette powers because she wasn't the Crane. She had used the powers but she never connected with Skysong the way Kim did and the tall blonde had even admitted the powers felt odd when she used them.

"Owie." Tommy snapped to attention at Piper's voice. He looked around widely before he found Piper, sprawled on the ground with an older man stood over her. She seemed to be glaring at the towering figure. Eyes narrowing in instant dislike, Tommy rushed forward to protect his granddaughter.

Piper gaped as her granddaddy jumped in from seemingly nowhere and started attacking Grandpa. She could only sit back and watch as the two men beat on each other. Only when Dulcea stepped onto the plateau was Piper able to snap herself out of her daze.

"Hey, hey, hey! No fighting! Granddaddy, stop!" Piper cried, rushed forward to pull Tommy away. "No kicko no fighto!"

"Piper, he was attacking you!" Tommy argued, struggling against Piper's grip. Piper rolled her eyes.

"Granddaddy, he would no more hurt me than you would." She informed the former ranger. Tommy looked at her confusion before taking a good look at the man he'd attacked. He blinked.

"…Troy?!" He asked, stunned as the former SPD Red Ranger straightened and brushed off his outfit. Troy shot Tommy a wry grin.

"Hey Tom." He greeted his predecessor. Tommy gawked at him.

"You're dead." He blurted. Troy nodded knowingly.

"I'm aware of that." He responded dryly. Tommy shook his head and pulled himself together. He glanced over and saw that Piper was trying to hide giggles.

"I'm not dead, am I?" He asked worriedly.

"No, my Falcon, you are meditating. I brought you here." Dulcea finally spoke up. Tommy twirled around, startled. The Master Warrior laughed softly at his expression. "Piper wished to speak with you."

"Piper wished…where are we?" He asked, still confused. Piper wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. Tommy's arms automatically wrapped around her shoulders. She grinned.

"The astral plane." She answered simnply. Tommy looked down at her then glanced at Troy and Dulcea.

"The astral plane. Right. And you would be here…why?" He asked, looking back down at his granddaughter. She rolled her eyes.

"I hate prophesies." She told him. Tommy raised an eyebrow at Troy's chuckle.

"Mind backing up a bit?" he asked. Piper sighed and motioned to Dulcea and Troy.

"They're training me cause millions of years ago a good lady of great power decided it would be a good idea to send her daughters spirit to reside with Time until such a time that Satan's spawn broke free from prison and wrecked havoc on the universe. Then, the daughter of good incarnate would be born into the universe and would have the power to defeat Apate, Satan's spawn. And yes, I know this sounds very Harry Potter-ish but that's what Dulcea told me and I blame you." Piper told him seriously. Troy laughed as Tommy gazed down at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

Piper sighed. "Nyx and Erebus, the Great Lady and Lord of Darkness, had a daughter, Apate. In order to keep the balance, Apate was supposed to be locked away until Hemera and Aether, the Great Lady and Lord of Light, had a child but Hemera took her daughters spirit and sent it to Chronos, the Lord of Time so Apate was never released. Chronos couldn't keep Tyche, Hemera and Aether's daughter, forever and so once the Universe was ready, Chronos would release the spirit to be born into a mortal body. Mine." She pouted. Tommy frowned.

"And you blame me, why?" He asked, his mind slowly flittering through what Piper had told him. She glared at him good-naturedly.

"You're a legend. The Universe apparently decided that the granddaughter of several rangers, including the 'Greatest Ranger Ever' would be the perfect host for Tyche's spirit. If you hadn't been such a great ranger, I'd…probably still be in this situation but I want someone to blame and since Hemera and Aether aren't on even the astral plane anymore, I can't blame them. So, I blame you." She told him with a small twinkle in her eye. Tommy frowned and gently moved Piper to Troy, his eyes hard as he turned to Dulcea.

"We need to talk." He told her lowly. Dulcea nodded, not the least bit surprised at his anger. They moved off to the side, Troy keeping Piper by him.

"Why her?" He asked without preamble. Dulcea shrugged.

"It was not my decision, it was Chronos'. He was charged with waiting until the time and circumstances were ready. He chose now and he chose her." She told him simply. Tommy scowled.

"What does this prophecy entail?" he demanded. Dulcea studied him for a few seconds before answering.

"She will face Apate and Apate's warriors. She will not be alone, I can assure you of that. Hemera created items of power to assist Tyche in the final war between the Guardians of Balance." Dulcea informed him. Tommy frowned.

"So this war will determine the final outcome of the war between good and evil?" He asked dubiously. Dulcea shrugged.

"All we are told in the legends is that at the end of the war, the balance will begin anew." She explained. Tommy sighed and pinched his nose. Somehow, he knew that no matter what he did to try and avoid this, Piper would still have to fight. _Well then, better get her trained by the best…_

"Dulcea, I have a request." He told her, looking into her eyes. She raised an eyebrow.

"And what would this request be?" She asked curiously. Tommy took a second to glance over at Piper and Troy who were sparring with staffs.

"An old friend of mine died a while back. Have her help train Piper." He said, turning back to the Master Warrior. Knowing immediately who he meant, Dulcea nodded.

"I'll see what I can do." She agreed. She paused. "There are two pawns in this war, Tommy, two young women who will be forced to do things they do not wish to. Just so you know, your pink ranger is not evil in her heart nor her soul but that does not mean evil cannot, and is not, influencing her. Be careful, Nikki's life could depend on you and your grandchildren." The two warriors looked at each other for a few seconds before simultaneously turning to the two fighters who slowly came to attention.

"I think I have to go." Tommy told them. Piper's face fell but she nodded; she knew he couldn't stay forever.

"Tell them I'm okay and I'm in good hands?" She requested. Knowing she meant both her family and her friends, he nodded. Troy shifted uncomfortably.

"Tommy, when you see Schuyler, don't tell him you saw me. It'll only open old wounds that should stay closed." Troy asked. Tommy stared at him; though he believed telling Sky that his father was at peace and was in fact training Piper would be a good thing, he had to respect Troy's wishes…to an extent at least.

"I won't tell him unless he asks." He replied. Troy nodded in acceptance. Piper gave him one last hug and then Tommy turned and began walking back down the stairs. A dozen steps down, he faded from view as his mind returned to his body. Piper sighed and looked down at the staff in her hands. She turned to her granddad.

"Let's get to work cause the sooner I beat the crap out of you two, the sooner I can go home."

* * *

**End notes:** How many of you saw the PROO premiere? I loved it! Well, except the theme song but I have this feeling it's going to grow on me. I already have crazy fic/vid plot bunnies.

**the real vampire:** Well, he's dead, its not like he has a lot to worry about. And, he just meet his granddaughter for the first time…he's aloud to be a little goofy.

**General:** I'm just calling you General from now on. And yes, it was Tommy. :)

**Tierra** and **garnetred**, thank you for the reviews.

BTW, PRUnited Forum is up and running and soon the entire site will be as well. Come and join us; we promise we won't bite! The URL is in my profile.


	17. Chapter 16

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I decided to call the magical dimension in MF Avalon cause it always bugged me that they never named the dimension. Also, I'm gonna start veering from just PR quotes cause though I like em, sometimes they just don't work.

* * *

(being interrogated)  
**Harken:** _You fought with Captain Reynolds in the war?  
_**Zoe:** _Fought with a lot of people in the war.  
_**Harken: **_And your husband?  
_**Zoe:** _Fight with him sometimes too._ **Firefly

* * *

**

**Earth**

"So, despite her coma, she's safe. She's with people who will care for her." Tommy finished explaining his trip to the astral plane. He was in the largest conference room on base, with every red ranger Earth had ever had sitting around the table. Also present were all of his old teammates, the former B Squad, Boom, Kat, several red ranger's spouses, and Commander Cruger on a communications consol. Everyone was silent, though Tommy smiled when he saw the relieved expressions on many of their faces; Piper had picked up her mothers habit of making friends wherever she went.

"So, Tyche's spirit is in Piper?" Sky asked, trying to make sense of it all. Tommy paused.

"From what I could figure out, Tyche_ is_ Piper, just a side that no one, not even she, has ever seen." He said. His eyes lit upon Nick sitting with Madison, Udonna, Leanbow, and Daggeron and a comparison hit him. "It's like Nick. When he was born, he was Bowen, son of the most powerful sorceress and warrior in Avalon. Growing up, he was Nick, normal human. Now he's both; human, but with the power of his parents. Piper was _born_ Tyche, _raised_ Piper, but soon, if not already, she's both Tyche _and_ Piper. She has a whole side of her she hasn't explored yet and if what Dulcea told me is true, she's extremely powerful, possibly even more so than Rita is now."

"That's a scary thought." Jason mumbled. Everyone looked at him and he grinned. "Well, Rita can turn someone into a frog without blinking an eye and she's older than all of us combined. I'd hate to see what Piper, who's sixteen and very imaginative, could do if you try and ground her."

Aimee and Sky gaped at each other as the others cracked up. The tension in the room immediately lessened. Tommy chuckled.

"The thing to remember though is that she is still Piper. She's still the same girl we all know and love just…with a new gift. When she wakes up, we can't treat her any differently, despite what your own imagination might tell you." Kimberly spoke up, shooting her husband a look. They nodded.

"Tommy, you said she's with people who will care for her. Who did you mean?" Billy asked, a peculiar gleam in his eye. Tommy smiled sadly as his old teammates perked up.

"I didn't see Zordon, if that's what you're asking." He apologized. Kimberly, Billy, Adam, and Andros all deflated.

"But I have an idea that he may have been around; I doubt even death could stop Zordon from helping his great granddaughter." He added. Everyone who had ever met Zordon laughed.

"Who _did_ you meet then?" Adam asked from beside Hayley. Tommy glanced around, careful to keep his eyes from landing on anyone in particular. Finally, he settled on Kimberly and Billy.

"I didn't see her, but I asked Dulcea to contact Trini." He said, watching his friend's reactions. Both nodded, smiling brightly. Kimberly suddenly giggled.

"Trini would be an awesome teacher for Piper. They could compare notes on you." She cracked. Zack, Billy, and Jason all laughed as Tommy made a face.

"We're there anyone else?" Vanessa Tate-McLean asked from behind her son. Tommy glanced at her, Sky, and Michael as the entire room got very quiet as the occupants realized what Vanessa was really asking. Tommy swallowed. Before he could answer, however, Sky spoke up.

"You saw my dad." It wasn't a question but Tommy nodded anyway.

"He was training Piper when I got there. He was happy." He told him honestly. Sky smiled, something in his face lightening. Behind him, Vanessa laughed softly and Michael was grinning.

"She _is_ in good hands then." Michael murmured, reaching out to squeeze Sky's shoulder. Tommy smiled to himself when he saw Jack, Syd, Bridge, Z, Boom, JD, Ally, Kat, and Aimee all leaning toward the Cadet Training Director in silent support. Sky grasped Aimee's hand and nodded.

"Yes she is.

**Astral Plane**

"Holy hell!" Piper yelped as she fell to the ground yet again. Troy and Dulcea stood above her as she continued cursing at her inability to fight the two at the same time. They were much too hard to keep track of.

"Get up. We will continue this course of training until you can actively defend yourself from the both of us." Dulcea told her. Piper glared up at her, refusing to do what the Master Warrior said.

"Give her a break, she's used to having her friends by her side." A new voice spoke softly. Piper thanked the heavens for the intervention and craned her neck around to get a good look at her savior. When she saw her, she scrambled to her feet.

"What…what are you doing here?" She asked breathlessly. The woman smiled, her long raven black hair flowing down her back like a waterfall. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a yellow blouse, she looked as she did when she died some 45 years previously.

"Don't look so shocked. After all, we're family." Trini Kwan-Tsukino grinned. Someone coughed and it was then Piper realized Trini wasn't alone. Standing behind her were six different people, all with different colored uniforms. As Piper stared at them, she slowly started to recognize the insignias.

"Who….?" She asked, stunned. Trini laughed.

"Yes, they are who you think they are and they are thrilled to be back in the game, even if it is just training you." The former Yellow Ranger stepped forward with a grin.

"We are your teachers."

**Earth**

"What did you find out?" Eli was blunt when he cornered his dad two days after the big meeting. Eli had assumed the meeting had been called because of heightened security measures on base but after his Uncle Sky had started teaching his classes again, he knew it had also been about Piper and that they had found something out.

"What do you mean?" Bridge asked, not looking up from his datapad. Eli wasn't fooled, his father knew exactly what he meant but was purposely avoiding his gaze.

"Piper. You know something. What is it?" He demanded. Bridge finally did look up but didn't meet his son's eyes.

"Piper is fine. She's safe. That's all you need to know." Bridge told him. Eli's eyes narrowed.

"How can you possibly know that?" he asked. Bridge squirmed. Z was the one who usually dealt with the kids when they wanted something. They knew if they wanted something, they had to go to dad.

"Tommy talked to her." He blurted, grimacing at himself. They really did have him wrapped around their fingers. Eli blinked.

"But she's still in a coma." He stated. Bridge nodded, edging towards the door. Suddenly Z was in the room, her hands on Ella's shoulders. Ella herself was looking mightily contrite, though Eli could tell his twin had uncovered something big.

"I thought so." Z frowned, pushing Ella forward and pointing to the couch. The twins obediently sat.

"Here's the deal. Piper has officially been declared confidential class six so we can't tell you squat." Z informed them. Eli and Ella exchanged startled glances. Class six was the highest in security designations for SPD. Only the Supreme Commander could even issue it.

"Cruger has agreed to allow the four of you to continue visiting Piper but she will be moved to a more secure location immediately. You four, B Squad, and the Senior Staff will have access to her. She will remain on base, of course, but she will be under lock and key until she wakes up." Z explained. Eli perked up.

"So she will wake up? We know that for a fact?" He asked. Z nodded and the twins sagged against each other in relief. Their parents smiled.

"Right now, Piper is on the astral realm and training. She's with her grandfather." Bridge explained. Eli slowly grinned when it became obvious he wasn't talking about the Commander.

"How's uncle Sky taking it?" Ella asked. Bridge smiled at her concerned tone. She really did adore her uncle.

"He's thrilled his dad's happy and training Piper." Z answered. Eli grinned before he remembered the first part.

"She's training? Why?" He asked worriedly. Bridge and Z exchanged looks.

"It's class six too. I'm sorry." Bridge told them and he _was_ sorry. Despite the former B Squad's pleas, Cruger had decided to restrict the four cadets to visiting Piper and knowing she would be okay. They were not to know anything else unless they _had_ to know. Even telling them the little they had was bordering on divulging too much. Of course, if what Bridge had read from his teammates were true, they were going to find a way to tell the kids without breaking their oaths of secrecy to Cruger. Bridge had a feeling even Tommy would be "slipping" on security pads whenever one of the four were in the room.

Bridge suddenly noticed Ella's small smile and quickly strengthened his shields. Ella's smile remained but she winked ever so slightly at him. Bridge scowled for show but knew Eli and Z had both caught the wink and had to hide a grin when Z snorted. Once the teens had left, he turned to his wife.

"Ella is far more devious than I ever suspected. I think she gets it from you." He smiled. Z wrapped her arms around him and leaned up to give him a kiss.

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment."

* * *

"So what, exactly, did you find out?" Eli asked once they were safely ensconced in Piper's new room. The twins had wasted no time in telling Alycia and Claudia what they had learned and then going to Sky for the location of Piper's room. Eli had seen the way Ella had been looking at Sky when they had been talking and knew his sister had been reading the older man's thoughts. From her expression when he had left them alone with Piper, she had learned something their parents hadn't told them.

"First of all, Uncle Sky must have known exactly what I was doing cause he kept thinking the same thing." Ella told them as they settled in the room. Piper was lying in a glass medical chamber, her expression peaceful. The medical chamber was enclosed but for four air pressured holes in the side that allowed Eli and Claudia to hold her hand. There were four chairs and a small table in the corner as well as a small counter with a microwave and mini-fridge. Alycia was already calculating how much the counter cupboards would hold in term of snack food.

"What was he thinking?" Eli turned to his sister but kept an eye on Piper's expression.

"He kept repeating _The Guardians of Balance were Hemera, Aether, Nyx, and Erebus. Tyche has been born and Apate has been released. _He also gave me the clearance code for a level six search." She reported. Eli frowned.

"Okay….what has that to do with Piper?" he asked. Ella shrugged as she finally restled her laptop onto the table.

"Maybe…Piper is connected with Apate?" Alycia ventured, rummaging through the cupboards as Claudia helped Ella set up the computer.

"Hello Eleanora." The computer intoned. Ella smiled.

"Hello 411. How are you today?" She asked, ignoring her friends stifled laughs.

"All functions are well within parameters, thank you for asking." The computer responded. Ella smiled. "Will you need my assistance, Eleanora?"

"Yes, I want to perform a level six search of all SPD databases." Ella informed the machine. The laptop whirled.

"First year cadets do not have the proper level of clearance for such a search, Eleanora." If it were possible, the computer sounded as if she were scolding Ella. The Carson girl smiled.

"I have the clearance code." She responded, typing it in.

"Very well. Please specify keywords." 411 requested. Ella smiled.

"First word, Hemera. Second word, Aether…" She continued in this strain until all six names had been recorded. The laptop beeped.

"Searching Earth's database now."

"I thought it was going to search all the databases." Alycia commented. Ella nodded.

"It is, but it'll have to do them one at a time. Luckily, each search should take only a few minutes." She responded. Eli nodded as the computer beeped.

"Search of Earth's database complete. Searching Kerovian database now." 411 intoned. Ella frowned.

"We're there any hits in Earth's database?" She asked.

"Negative." 411 replied. Ella groaned.

"Why do I have a feeling it's gonna be a long day?"

* * *

**End Notes:** Thanks for the reviews guys and gals!

Tierra: Thanks for pointing them out; I was kinda in a rush and I guess I didn't check it as thoroughly as I should have. Sorry. And yes, I avoided Bash (actually she avoided me; she didn't want to get sick right before visiting her family).

the real vampire: I hope your opening night went well!

Thanks to **garnetred**, **Lauren**, and **BellaCordelia** for the reviews. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations.

Updates are gonna be slow for the next few weeks cause its the time of the year when all the soc teachers and their cousins are piling on the homework. I have four research papers due within the next two weeks and my homework takes a bit precedence over fanfiction, sorry to say.


	18. Chapter 17

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Cordelia:** _I have all these thoughts, and I'm pretty sure they all contradict each other._ Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

* * *

_

**Earth**

"Uh…Commander?" A third year cadet called out. It'd been a week since Tommy had seen Piper and discussed the situation with Cruger. In that week, he knew the four members of the Quintet had been looking into Piper's condition. He also knew, thanks to his hacking daughter, that they were close to finding the answer. Because of the foursome's dedication to helping Piper despite not knowing what was going on, he had given Kat, Aimee, and Boom a new project, one only the four of them knew about. He couldn't wait to see what the three of them came up with.

"Yes cadet?" Tommy asked, walking up behind the cadet. A small ship, barely big enough to hold one cadet, was steadily making her way towards Earth. Tommy frowned, confused.

"We're not expecting any personal cruisers, are we?" He asked. The cadet shook her head and pushed a button. A request for docking popped up.

"I'm here to help care for the Chosen. A5." Tommy's eyes lit up as he realized just who was on the shuttle. He clapped the cadet on the shoulder.

"Give clearance for landing, cadet. It's an old friend." He grinned, heading out the door. He had to find Aimee.

"I can't believe he's here!" Aimee squealed as the shuttle slowly came to a stop. Next to her, Sky chuckled. Next to them, Eli shared a glance with Claudia. The other girl shrugged as the door to the shuttle slowly opened. Nearby, several cadets and personnel gaped in astonishment when a small, humanoid robot shuffled down the plank.

"Alpha!" Tommy and Aimee called out happily.

"Ai, ai ai ai ai! Tommy, its so good to see you!" Alpha greeted them as Aimee crushed the small automaton in a hug. "And you too Aimee. Ai ai ai ai ai ai!"

Tommy chuckled as he bent down to hug the old robot. Time hadn't changed him, something Tommy was eternally grateful for. His old friend reminded him of the good old days of Zordon and youth and friendship and the good fight.

"Thank you so much for coming Alpha." Tommy told him. Alpha's lights flashed.

"Ai, ai ai ai ai ai ai ai! Of course I came! I made a promise years ago to help you and any of your family. I keep my promises Tommy." Alpha told him. Tommy smiled.

"And I'm thankful for that, Alpha. It'll be great having you here full time, not just for weeklong visits." He told him and then frowned when Alpha bent his head.

"I may not stay as long as you think, Tommy. Tyche will need to begin her quest and I will have to accompany her." The small automaton told him. Tommy frowned and was about to ask him what he meant when Aimee placed a hand on his arm. He looked down at her as she slowly shook her head, eyes darting around at all the curious personnel. He nodded.

"We'll talk about that later Alpha. For now, did you bring your recharge alcove?" He asked. Alpha nodded, his lights going crazy.

"Oh yes. It's inside the shuttle." He explained. Tommy nodded and Sky motioned for the two cadets to follow him. They entered the shuttle, a gravity mover right behind them. Tommy smiled down at Alpha.

"I take it you want to see Piper?" He asked. Alpha nodded.

"Oh yes, Tommy. Then we can talk." He paused. "The girl with Eli, who was she?"

The three slowly headed in the direction of Piper's room. "Her name is Claudia Chen, she's Kendrix, Leo, and Kai's granddaughter. Why?"

"So she's Valerie and Archie's daughter?" He asked. Aimee nodded.

"Yes, she's attending the academy on Earth. She's joined the little group around Piper. They're called the Quintet by the other cadets and quite a few of the instructors." She explained as the approached the first security force field.

"And there is a ranger, a member of the elite team, that Piper does not always get along with?" He inquired. Tommy nodded, his curiosity growing as Alpha asked his questions.

"Nikki, the Pink Ranger. Dulcea said she's going to need our help." He replied as the force field closed again once they passed. Alpha was quiet until they had passed the third and last force field.

"Tommy are you developing ranger powers here on base?" He asked. Tommy blinked, sharing an incredulous look with Aimee.

"We do experiment with various technologies, yes. But why do I think that's not what you meant?" He asked as they approached the door to Piper's room. Aimee went on ahead to clear out Alycia and Ella. The two girls left, but not before shooting curious look at Alpha. Once they had passed the second force field, Alpha, Tommy, and Aimee entered Piper's room. Once Alpha and Aimee had both checked on Piper, they sat down. Tommy's eyes narrowed as Alpha sighed.

"It is as Zordon feared. Piper is Tyche." He murmured sadly. Tommy blinked.

"Zordon? He knew? But how, he's…" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence with Zordon's best friend in the room.

"From the moment he met you Tommy, he knew your line would produce Tyche. As you grew into manhood, his belief only strengthened." Alpha told him sadly. Tommy swallowed just as Sky entered with Alpha's recharge alcove. The three former rangers quickly set it up as Alpha stared down at Piper.

"Alpha, how did Zordon know?" Tommy asked as Aimee quietly brought her husband up to speed. Alpha sighed again.

"There was a series of prophecies, made by a red ranger millions of years ago. They are now known but to a select few; Zordon, Ninjor and Dulcea were a few of those few. One revealed the blood line Tyche would be born from, another gave the timing and identity of Tyche." Alpha told him, grabbing a datapad from his alcove. He handed it to Tommy who read it aloud.

_"There cannot be light_

_where there has not been darkness. _

_From blood touched by evil_

_will come Tyche._

_The Father of her Mother_

_enslaved by a dark sword_

_and freed by friendship. _

_The Father of her Father_

_A life extinguished by darkness._

_The Mother's Gift_

_Destroyed by darkness' touch._

_The Father_

_imprisoned in a body not his own_

_saved by science. _

_There cannot be light_

_where there has not been darkness."_

"That's us." Aimee murmured, grabbing the datapad. "Daddy's the one enslaved by the dark sword and saved by friendship. Uncle Jason destroyed the Sword of Darkness. Troy died by evil's hands. My powers were destroyed in the final battle with Gruumm. And you were stuck in ole whats his face's body until RIC figured it out."

Sky swallowed, glancing guiltily at Piper's prone form. "So this is our fault." He suddenly stood and punched the wall. Alpha placed a hand on his arm.

"No, Schuyler. It is not your fault. It was destiny. This would have happened either way. Do not blame yourself; it will not help your daughter to survive." Alpha told him, patting him. Sky took a deep breath and sat back down.

"What about the other prophecies, Alpha.? You said there were a series of them. Do they all pertain to Tyche?" Aimee asked, her eyes calculating. Alpha shook his head.

"No, not all of them concern Tyche. Some concern Apate, her warriors, Tyche's Protectors, Hemera's gifts, the journey Tyche will have to take, her families place in everything, Tyche's Gifts, one concerns her lover, and one concerns just Nikki. I believed she is Tyche's Protector, the one Touched By Apate." Alpha explained. Sky's eyes widened.

"What was that about a lover?" He demanded. Alpha chuckled.

"Protector and Lover, he who will stand by Tyche's side till death." Alpha replied as Aimee and Tommy exchanged amused looks. Sky's caught the exchange and frowned.

"What?" He asked. Aimee just smiled mischievously. "What?!"

"You're definitely Piper's father." Was all she said.

"You said one concerns Nikki? And you think she's…what did you call her?" Tommy asked. Alpha dipped his head.

"Tyche's Protector Who Was Touched By Apate. It is said in a prophecy that Tyche will have a Protector who travels with her on her journey. She was touched, controlled by Apate, who found lodging in her heart due to a fault not her own. According to the prophecy, Apate will be expelled from the Protector by Tyche's greatest gift." He explained. Tommy frowned.

"What_ is_ Piper's greatest gift?" He asked. Alpha shook his head.

"I do not know."

* * *

**Astral Plane**

"Jadespring, you do realize I'm not a frog, right?" Piper asked as she trained with the Black Ninjette. Jadespring chuckled and nodded.

"So why do I have to learn to jump?!" Piper demanded as she jumped from one pole top to another. The spirit laughed.

"You are learning balance, young dragonfly, not jumping." He paused. "That will come later."

"Now I know why Uncle Adam was so quiet. He was always arguing with you!" She grumbled as she jumped to the next pole. She petered dangerously before falling into the water with a splash. Coughing as she resurfaced, she sent a glare in the Spirit Ninjette's direction. She trudged onto the bank of the pond, and layed down. She glanced over and frowned.

"Jadespring, why do you look like Uncle Adam all dressed up as a Ninjette?" She asked curiously. His eyes crinkled as he smiled beneath the mask.

"It is easier to train humans in human form." He replied. She nodded. "And does it not comfort you to see familiar faces?"

"Definitely." She agreed.

"Begin again." He told her. Groaning, she stood up and made her way to the platform that lead to the first pole. A few feet away, Trini laughed as Piper jumped three poles across the pond before falling again.

Tommy would have a heart attack if he knew what a mouth his granddaughter had.

* * *

**End Notes:** Thanks for the reviews **Lauren**, **garnetred**, and **the real vampire**.

**Tierra:** The Mercury Ranger is named Tyzonne. He's going to be played by Dwayne Cameron. Dwayne was in PRSPD as Dru (Idol) and PRDT as Derrick (Bully For Ethan). He was also on The Tribe as Bray with James Napier (Conner), Tom Hern (Devin), Antonio Prebble (Krista/Nova/Clare), and Beth Allen (Ally Samuells). He's a hottie. Now, they just need to get Caleb Ross and I'll be happy. Cookies to everyone who gets the connection.

And yes, Saban got a lot of flake about Trini and Zack. African American's are termed black and Asian Americans are called yellows and a lot of people think its derogatory to refer to people by color. They changed it up when Zack, Trini, and Jason left. Adam became black and Aisha became yellow.

Also, Nic Samspon (Chip) voices the Sentinel Knight. Looks like Chip finished his knight training after all, lol.


	19. Chapter 18

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Willow: **_Goody! Research party!  
_**Xander: **_Will, you need a life in the worst way.

* * *

_

**Earth**

"I found it!"

Eli looked up from his book when Ella burst into Piper's room. Across from him, Claudia and Alycia exchanged looks. It was Christmas break and all three were hanging out on base with Piper's still prone form. Alpha was in a meeting with Tommy. And they were still looking for the answers about their comatose friend.

"Found what?" Eli asked. Ella grinned and waved a sheaf of printed paper at him.

"The answer to what's going on with Piper." She replied. Eyes widening, Eli grabbed the papers from his sister's hands. Ella pouted.

"'The Great Lord and Lady of Light, Hemera and Aether, came from the heavens with a special task for the Mirinites. Guard and protect a small blue crystal until their daughter came to claim it. They were told that She of the Light would not come for many years and so they built a temple, deep in the woods. For their willingness to do as they asked, the Great Lady and Lord bestowed upon them five weapons of extreme power as a means to protect themselves against the darkness. They are known as the Quasar Sabers.' This is the legend the Eltarian elders told me in my training so long ago. Now, I have arrived on Mirinoi with the legend of the mystical blue stone at the forefront of my mind. Though I will hide within the confines of the Mirinite village, I will find this crystal, for it must have extreme power. With it, I will bring about great fortune to my people; I will save Argos, and I will be revered."

"What is this?" Alycia asked once Eli finished reading.

"It's from the journal of an egomaniac called Aeson. He was a farm boy from the planet Argos who ended up on Eltar when he proved to have great magical gifts. He grew arrogant though and decided to take _over_ Argos. He believed he was doing what was best for the planet and thousands were murdered on his orders before the Alliance stepped in. He tried finding the crystal mentioned but never could." Ella explained. Alycia nodded.

"So, what does this have to do with Piper?" Eli asked. Ella grabbed the papers and riffled through them.

"Well, because of this, I was able to figure out that Hemera and Aether were the Great Lady and Lord of Light. From there I was able to find that Nyx and Erebus are their exact opposites, the Great Lady and Lord of Darkness. Basically, they were the first good and evil beings in the universe." She explained. Eli nodded, still not understanding where this was going.

"Apate was, is, Nyx and Erebus' daughter. She was imprisoned years ago when the balance started tipping dangerously in favor of darkness. If they hadn't locked her up, reality would've crumbled because there _has_ to be a balance. According to what I found out, the only way Apate could've been released is if a child of pure good was born to Hemera and Aether. Uncle Sky said Tyche has been born; I'm betting Tyche is their daughter, the Lady of Light." Ella explained. Eli frowned while Alycia and Claudia both nodded.

"I still don't get what this has to do with Piper." Eli repeated. Ella bit her lip.

"Tyche was actually conceived thousands, millions of years ago. But she was given to Lord Chronos, the Lord of Time. While in his care, she technically didn't exist on either the mortal or spiritual planes so Apate couldn't be released. She had to be reborn eventually though and…" She stopped, a pained expression crossing her features. Eli understood at once.

"And she was born into Piper. _Piper_ is _Tyche_."

* * *

"Okay, so you know how Hemera and Aether gave the Mirinites the Quasar Sabers?" Alycia asked two days later. They were back in Piper's room, surrounded my various food cartons, books, papers, data pads, and, at the moment, mounds of boxes, gifts, and wrapping paper. It was the only reminder of how close Christmas was.

"Yeah, what about it?" Eli asked as he taped a corner of the box holding his father's Hannakuh gift. Alycia looked up from her laptop, an odd look on her face.

"It mirrors the power legends of four other planets." She replied. Eli frowned as Claudia and Ella both looked up.

"What do you mean?" Claudia asked. Alycia spun her laptop around, showing off a table.

"Mirinoi wasn't the only planet Hemera and Aether visited with crystals. The story is basically the same with minor changes. And all five planets were given ranger powers to defend themselves." Alycia replied.

"What kind of changes?" Ella asked.

"The color of the crystal, for one. Also, only two others built temples." She explained. Eli frowned.

"What colors and what planets?" He asked.

"Mirinoi was blue, Eltar was yellow, Aquitar had green, Inquiris was pink, and Kerova was red. The Galaxy, Eltarian, Aquitain, Inquirian, and Space Rangers." She rattled off. Eli frowned but Claudia nodded.

"Hemera and Aether aren't around, we know that much because of what Commander Tate told you. So….they left the crystals and I'm guessing the ranger powers as protection for Tyche. I mean, they knew she had to be reborn eventually, right?" She asked. The others nodded. "And if the people of those respective planets used the powers to protect themselves from evil, all the better. After all, if darkness got a foothold on any of the planets, the crystals could have been seized by evil. Which I'm thinking would be bad."

"Good point. Now, what do the crystals do and why does Tyche, Piper, have to find them?" Alycia asked. The others looked at each other uneasily. Eli eyes burned fiercely as he took in Piper's still form.

"No matter what happens, she's not going to be alone." He whispered fervently. The girls all looked at each other in agreement.

For better of worse, they'd be with her till the bitter end.

* * *

**End Notes:** This didn't have a whole lot of action, I'll admit, but it did give some info that is vital to the next fic in the Heritage Trilogy.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed (**general**, **Lauren**, **Tierra**, and **garnetred**), you're bringing me closer and closer to my goal of 100 reviews!

**Tierra:** First of all, no, I don't get upset with your questions, it just proves you're actually paying attention and trying to tie everything together! This is a good thing. And yes, I misspelled Ninjetti again. I don't know why I keep doing that since I _do_ know the correct spelling. (shakes head). And as for the _Antonio Prebble_, I was watching Spy Kids 2 when I was typing that bit up and you can imagine what happened. Finally, as to your question of the help, it would be nice but I have the chapter outline completely written out for Inheritance and for the first couple chapters of the next fic in the Heritage Trilogy. I also have mini biographies and quotes that will be used and so forth, all in a three ring binder that doesn't leave my desk. So thanks, but its not needed. Unless you wanna help with the Heritage page on my website, I'm getting behind on updating the mini-biographies for the Quintet and I don't even _have_ biographies for a lot of the other people. I've been too busy to get around to it.

Again, thanks for all the reviews! Until next time! Jade


	20. Chapter 19

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **The first quote in this chapter is actually from a group chat I, PatrickFury, Queen of Kirommy, EstelKenobi, and PRFanatic had on April 2. The second is from the same chat only after PatrickFury and PRFanatic took off. They have no purpose other than they cracked me up.

* * *

**PatrickFury:** How the hell did we go from Kirommy and a heated discussion  
**PatrickFury:** to Dancing with the Stars?  
**QueenofKirommy:** Josh Groban.

* * *

**Jade:** No wonder you like Chip.**  
QueenofKirommy:** Who?  
_A few random comments later_  
**Jade:** Chip? Redhead, loves archery, Yellow Mystic Ranger, the guy you're doing a threesome with Xander and Vida with? Ringing any bells?  
**Jade:** That last bit sounded very wrong.  
_And so the threesome/foursome jokes began…._

* * *

_Astral Plane_

"Aunt Trini, is something wrong with Dulcea? She's been acting weird today. And why do I finally get a day off? I mean, I've been training practically non-stop since I got here and—" Piper's babble was cut off as her deceased aunt placed a hand over her mouth. She glared at the semi-older woman who simply smiled benignly back at her. Trini took her hand away.

"First of all, I don't think Tommy ever babbled half as much as you do. Second, I'm not allowed to tell you." Trini informed her. Piper scowled.

"So what else is new?" She muttered half to herself. Though she knew the basics, Dulcea still hadn't explained everything else—like what powers she would acquire by tapping into Tyche. Not to mention _how_ to tap into Tyche.

"Have patience Dragonfly." Jadespring told her calmly. She glared at him.

"Patience is not a characteristic I've mastered yet, just ask my parents." She told him bluntly.

"Apparently you haven't mastered tact yet, either." Fleetfoot commented dryly, causing Piper to glare good-naturedly at the blue ninjetti spirit.

"Watch it Fleetfoot, or you might end up getting a muzzle put on while you sleep again." Mightyfist commented from his perch on the tree. Fleetfoot scowled while Piper, Trini, and the other Ninjetti spirits laughed.

Eyes twinkling, Piper relaxed against Swiftwing who put an arm around her shoulder. Trini smiled at the two; Tommy's spirit animal and his granddaughter were not two beings she ever thought would ever meet.

"Nothing is impossible." Stronggrip reminded the former yellow ranger. Trini smiled at her successor's animal spirit.

"Very true." She agreed. From her place on Swiftwing's other side, Kimberly's animal spirit Skysong grinned at the group, her eyes sparkling with laughter. Jadespring smiled at her.

"What has you so amused, Skysong?" The black ninjettie spirit asked curiously.

"Just wondering what Kimberly's gonna say when she finds me within her once more." She commented, causing the other spirits to laugh. Piper shot straight up, looking at them incredulously.

"Wait a minute, are you saying Granddad and them are going to become Ninjetti again?!" She demanded. The spirits glanced at each other.

"Not exactly." Jadespring replied. Piper opened her mouth to question them further but was stopped by Dulcea.

"Piper." The Master Warrior called from the fire. Piper looked around and was slightly taken aback to see twilight befalling the plateau. She scrambled to her feet and made her way to her teacher and grandfather. Piper shot Troy a curious look but he shrugged, a grin on his face. Piper frowned but turned to Dulcea obediently.

"You called?" She asked inquiringly. Dulcea nodded.

"Tonight we do something different." The Ninjetti Priestess told her. Piper frowned, confused as Jadespring and Swiftwing grabbed her arms and led her to the other side of the fire, directly across from the podium of power and Dulcea.

Piper looked around, bewildered. On her right were Jadespring, Stronggrip, and Mightyfist; on her left were Swiftwing, Skysong, and Fleetfoot. Across from her were Dulcea, Trini, and Troy. Everyone was smiling at her.

"Piper, tonight, you will find your animal spirits. Tonight, you will connect with the part of you that is Tyche, the Daughter of Hemera and Aether, the Heiress to the Light, and the Guardian of the Grid." Dulcea announced. Piper blinked.

"Finally!" She burst out, causing the spirits to laugh. Dulcea's amusement showed on her face as she faced Piper, the silver sand cupped in her palms. Piper abruptly straightened as she realized how serious this was despite the merriment.

"Piper, buried within each of us is an animal spirit just waiting to be released. Close your eyes and look deep inside." Dulcea smiled at the young girl. Piper glanced at her grandfather and aunt. At their encouraging smiles, she nodded and closed her eyes, searching.

Once her eyes closed, Dulcea blew the sand into the fire. Trini and Troy watched in awe as the fire swirled up before flowing over to cover Piper. Those watching knew immediately once she had connected with her spirit animal as her clothes abruptly changed to the same white, gold, and black ninjetti uniform her grandfather had worn all those years ago. Troy barely contained himself from rushing over to see what animal had chosen her.

As Piper opened her eyes, she felt at peace, as if a part of her that she hadn't realized had been missing had been restored. Once she caught sight of her new duds, she grinned over at Swiftwing who smiled back. Except for the eyes and the golden emblems, they were mirror images. She inspected her emblem and was puzzled to see a dragon's head. She looked up as Dulcea approached.

"Piper, you are the Dragon, the protector of light." Dulcea intoned. Piper frowned.

"But Uncle David always said I was the Dragon_fly_." She argued. Dulcea smiled and nodded, tapping her emblem. Piper peered more closely and saw, to her surprise, the faint etching of a dragonfly underneath the dragon's head. She looked up, her expression one of bafflement. Dulcea laughed softly.

"You, my child, have two animal spirits." Dulcea explained. Piper's eyes widened when she realized the explanation.

"_Tyche_ is the Dragon and _Piper_ is the Dragonfly." She whispered and then frowned at her own use of the third person. Dulcea laughed again and nodded.

"Yes, my child, that is correct." She agreed just as she felt a familiar and wholly welcome presence enter the temple ruins. Glancing over Piper's shoulder, she smiled and then turned her attention back to the new ninjetti in front of her.

"You have completed your training Piper. There is nothing more I can teach you." Dulcea informed her, watching as Piper's eyes grew wide and her face lit up.

"You mean I can go home?" She asked hopefully. Dulcea nodded. Piper threw her arms around the Master Warrior and so didn't see Troy and Trini glance at each other sadly before fading away. Nor did she see the six spirit animals who had been teaching her fade as well. When she let the Master Warrior go, Dulcea stepped back and faded from sight, leaving a thoroughly bewildered sixteen year old girl behind. Piper frowned, looking around.

"Wait! How am I supposed to get home?!" She yelled.

"Piper." A voice spoke quietly from behind her. Piper froze, recognizing the voice from the old history vid her grandfather had made. She slowly turned around and swallowed.

Standing before her was Zordon, free of the confines of the warp tube and looking just as he had when Andros had smashed him free. He smiled warmly at her.

"My Granddaughter of heart and spirit, how good it is to see you at last." He spoke softly as he approached. Piper for her part couldn't move, too stunned was she. Zordon held up his hand and Piper found herself staring at a small dancing flame. Once he was sure her gaze was on it, he lowered his hand, leaving the flame to float in the air. Piper's mouth went dry as she somehow knew the flame was a Dragon's breath. She looked up at Zordon and he smiled as the flame rushed into her chest.

"May the Power protect you, little one."

* * *

**End Notes:** Wow, it's been two weeks. I'm so sorry; it's been really hectic lately. And let's not get started with the idiots who think having a fist fight with a double-plated plexiglass window and then walking all over the place is a good idea. Guess who got to clean up the blood? Yuck.

Thanks to everyone who's read. Special thanks to everyone who reviews, my goal is to hit 100 so keep em coming!

**general:** That's probably cause in Greek mythology, Erebus is the God of Darkness. Hence, the evil/powerful asshole persona.

**garnetred:** I can tell you honestly that none of the Quintet will become rangers in this book. That doesn't mean they won't in the sequels, since, you know, this is the first book in the trilogy and all.

**Tierra:** All you'll have to do is join my MSN group and then tell me who you are so I can made you an Assistant Manager. Then you can work on the character bios. And don't worry about the people you haven't been intro'd to yet, I'll work with them. Its really easy to do stuff on MSN, which is one of the reasons I chose it for my website thingy.

**Lauren:** Action is coming just…not for a few more chapters yet.

Big thanks to everyone who voted for me in the **2007 What A Character Fanfiction Awards**! I placed first for Aimee/Sky in _Inheritance _for _Best PR/OC Romance_ and _Inheritance_ itself won first place for _Best PRSPD_ fic. Thanks again!

BTW, if you haven't already, you should go join the PRUnited forum. I recently became the Fanfiction Moderator (I go by Artemis) and so THE is being uploaded chapter by chapter and soon Inheritance and the next fic in the trilogy will too. The link is on my profile.


	21. Chapter 20

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I was threatened with bodily harm by EstelKenobi (who's says I'm evil) to get cooking on this chapter and to forget about my HP fic. So….here it is.

* * *

**Shane:**_Dude, you are so into her!_**  
Dustin:**_No I'm not, I mean she's kinda cute, but..._

* * *

"Eli?" Z poked her head into her son's darkened room, a concerned expression on her face. "Why aren't you downstairs? We're making Gingerbread cookies."

"I'm not in the mood."

Z smiled sadly at him and nodded. "Okay, sweetie. Once you are, come on down and join in. We miss you." With that, she left. Eli didn't move from his spot by the window, his legs drawn in from around him and his eyes staring up at the sky. A single tear fell from his eye.

"I hope you're having a good Christmas Piper."

* * *

"Is he not coming down?" Bridge asked when Z walked into the dining room alone. Z smiled sadly and shook her head. Bridge sighed. When Eli wasn't sitting with Piper at base, he was moping up in his room and nothing his family did seem to cheer him up. Syd and Jack exchanged worried frowns before each going to help one of the varied children running around the house.

The holiday season at B Squad Acres was always full of people, former rangers and the families they had made. It all died off, mostly, on Christmas Eve, but that was still two days away. And more people had showed than usual because of Piper. In the corner of the dining toom, Nikki bit her lip as she struggled to fight something. Noticing, Troy frowned.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked. Nikki's eyes cleared and a relieved expression crossed her face as she smiled; he always seemed to be able to chase the darkness away.

"I'll be right back." Nikki told him, getting up and weaving in and out of the guests. Troy's eyes followed her as she made her way upstairs to where she knew Eli's room was. Tommy and Sky exchanged a look before Tommy got up and stealthily followed her.

"Eli?" Nikki asked, knocking on the green door. Eli looked up, startled at the familiar voice.

"Nikki?" He frowned, confused, as the pink ranger slipped inside, leaving the door open. She nodded, her expression carefully neutral.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" She asked quietly. Eli blinked owlishly at her, still confused as to why Nikki was in his house, let alone his room. "Do you think Piper would want you moping? Troy said this is her favorite holiday."

"Yeah, well, Piper's not here, is she?" He snapped, unable to control it. A flash of realization crossed the pink ranger's face as something sparked in her eyes.

"You love her." It wasn't a question, but Eli answered anyway.

"Everyone loves Piper. Even you thawed around her. She's impossible not to love." He told her. Nikki closed her eyes, struggling to reign in the darkness. She won, but briefly. She knew she had only a few minutes to say her piece and get out before she succumbed.

"When she gets back, what do you think she's gonna think when she finds out you spoiled Christmas for everyone? Cause that's what you're doing, everyone's worried about you." Nikki told him. "If you really love her, trust that she'll come back."

With that Nikki walked from the door as calmly as she could manage. She was a few steps from the cadet's door when she finally gave in. Dropping to her knees, she leaned against the wall for support.

Invisible, and standing just to the side of where Nikki kneeled, Tommy watched as the pink ranger lifted her head and her eyes sparked red before settling into their normal brown. Nikki's lips curved into a wicked smile before she bounded downstairs, all traces of the caring and struggling girl gone as Apate reigned in control once more.

* * *

"Ow." Piper murmured as she slowly came back to consciousness. "Someone get the name of that zord?"

A high pitched and extremely relieved giggle answered her. Eyes snapping open, she sat straight up in bed, only to fall back down again as the room spinned.

"Ooooh, that was not a good idea." She murmured, closing her eyes. A cold compress was placed on her forehead.

"Be still, Piper, you've had a trying time. It might take a while to readjust." A voice soothed. Cracking an eye open, she glanced to her right and saw a familiar robot.

"Alpha?" She whispered, confused. Alpha nodded.

"Ai ai ai ai ai ai, its me!" He agreed, his lights whirling as he slowly adjust her bed so she was sitting up. Fighting sudden fatigue and dizziness, she struggled to figure out what was going on.

"What happened, where am I?" She asked, taking the cold compress and holding it to her head herself as Alpha began fiddling the machine's. The automaton froze.

"You don't remember?" He asked worriedly. She shook her head, frowning.

"No. Alpha, where is everyone, where am I?" She asked again. If Alpha could have frowned, he would be doing so at the moment.

"What is the last thing you remember?" He asked carefully, pulling something from his belt and typing something into it as Piper labored to remember.

"It was Halloween, I was in my room, and…and I couldn't breath. I'd thought it was from my costume but then it happened when I was in my pajamas…Alpha, what happened?" She recalled slowly. The android's visor flashed.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…" he mumbled as he rushed around as fast as his short legs would allow him. Any other time, the sight would have amused her. Now, it just scared her even more.

What was wrong with her?

* * *

Katherine was helping Camryn in the kitchen when the communicator at her waist chirped at her. Wiping her hands on a towel, the feline quickly grabbed the device and hurried out onto the porch. Gazing a group of kids playing flashlight tag, she brought the communicator up to her lips.

"Dr. Oliver here, what is it?" She asked. What she heard, made her eyes widen and her lips to curve into a smile.

"She's awake."

* * *

"Grandpa, Grandma!" Piper exclaimed when Tommy and Kat rushed in less then twenty minutes after she had awoken. Tommy went straight to his granddaughter and gathered her into her arms as Kat hurried over to Alpha to get an update.

As Piper trembled in his arms, Tommy barely restrained himself from crying. He hated being helpless when his friends and family were in danger. Only two other times had he'd been more relieved to see someone; the day he saw he'd led the charge to get Aimee and JD back from Zeltrax and the day of the final battle with Gruumm when he saw Cruger holding an alive Aimee in his arms after the destruction of Omni.

"Grandpa, what's going on, where are we, why am I here?" Piper mumbled into his shirt. Tommy froze before slowly turning to an equally shocked Kat. He glanced at Alpha.

"She doesn't know?" He asked and the automaton shook his head. Tommy turned back to his granddaughter as she very nearly growled at him.

"What don't I know?!" She demanded, eyes practically flashing fire. Tommy let out a deep breath.

"I wasn't expecting this." He apologized. Piper's eyes narrowed and without warning, Tommy was thrown from the bed, crashing into the wall across the room. Piper's eyes widened as she stared horrorstruck at her grandfather.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I—I—I didn't mean to! That's—that's never happened before!" She cried out as Tommy gingerly stood, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. Once he was seeing one wife instead of two, he walked back to his granddaughter. She shrank into herself as he approached and Tommy paused. He tried to catch her gaze but she only shrank further, looking anywhere but at him. Tommy frowned at the shame and confusion he could see on her face. Knowing there was only one thing that could get her attention now, he took a deep breath.

"Piper, you've been in an astral coma for the past two months training with Dulcea and your grandfather Troy. You might have met other people but I was only there for a few minutes. You were training because you were born with a great gift, and you had to learn to defend yourself from people who would do you harm. I was under the impression you would learn to control the powers of Tyche while you were there but apparently I was wrong, especially since you can't even remember what you learned there." Tommy told her, watching her expression go from shock, to confusion to fear as he explained what he knew. "I think its safe to say your natural power of force fields was enhanced since normally they're blue and this time I couldn't see them. I'm not sure what else will happen but I can assure, we'll figure this out."

"I hurt you." She whispered in a small voice. Tommy chuckled.

"Its gonna take a lot more than throwing me into a wall cause you're upset and confused to get rid of me, kiddo. Like it or not, you're an Oliver. Get used to it." He smiled at her and she tentively smiled back. He bit back a sigh. _What happened to you sweetheart? What happened to the fighter spirit I knew so well?_

"I could kill Chronos." He suddenly muttered to himself as he got up. He looked at Kat.

"How is she? Physically, I mean?" He asked. Kat smiled at them.

"It's gonna take a while to get used to walking again. You'll be shaky on your feet for a while," She turned to her granddaughter, "And I'm gonna have you in rehabilitation and a wheelchair until your leg strength returns. You're going to feel very weak for a while, and probably very drowsy since I'm not sure how you slept while on the astral plane. How do you feel now?"

As if on cue, her stomach growled. Tommy and Kat chuckled and Piper gave a smile, sheepish smile. "Well, no solid foods for a while, broths, soups and whatnot. Understand?" Kat ordered. Piper made a face but nodded. She bit her lip and Tommy raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry.

"What day is it?" She asked. Tommy and Kat exchanged small smiles and Kat motioned to the tissue papered white wreath hanging just inside the door. Piper blinked.

"Happy Christmas sweetheart."

* * *

"Happy Holidays!" Bridge shouted, throwing confetti on Eli when he walked through the door to the Tate house on Christmas Eve. Eli frowned but didn't comment. Bridge sighed, he was trying his best to bring some cheer into this moody and depressed family but it didn't seem to be working. He knew Piper was safe, probably safer than she'd been all year, but no one saw it the way he did. He'd also had this niggling in the back of his mind all day that something was going to happen today. From the way Monica and Ella were acting, he knew they could feel it too.

"When are Commander Oliver and Kat supposed to get here?" Jack asked, coming to stand beside Bridge by the door. The former green and blue ranger smiled as he noticed the familiar SPD cruiser the Commander was forced to drive when on call.

"Right now, from the look of it." Bridge replied, opening the door to go greet them as they parked. Bridge frowned when he saw the shadow two people in the backseat. He looked at the commander.

"Commander?" He asked, confused. Christmas Eve was always just the Landors, Tate's, Carson's, Boom's, and Oliver's. Sometimes the Cruger's would join them and Claudia was staying with the Landors due to Piper, but…the figures in the back were definitely not a Siriusian and everyone was already inside the house. Tommy got out and smiled brightly.

"Get everyone in the family room." He instructed. Bridge and Jack glanced at each other and nodded before heading inside. Tommy's grin was infectious and the former rangers could only guess what surprise he had in store for them.

Tommy quickly went to the trunk and grabbed the anti-gravity wheelchair. Setting it up, he wheeled it over to the passenger side door where Kat and Alpha were already getting Piper wrapped in blankets. Meekly, Piper allowed her grandfather to pick her up and place her in the wheelchair. As Piper winced as Kat placed the neural connectors on the back of her neck. The connectors allowed her to mentally command the wheelchair as she would her legs but the side effect was she would lose feeling in her legs as long as she was connected. She didn't like it.

Once everything was in place and Piper was safely ensconced in her favorite quilt, the quartet made there way into the house. Piper smiled as they entered the foyer and numerous murmuring voices could be heard from the family room. It was good to be home, the room they had had her in sucked, despite the little traces of her friends here and there. Tommy went first with Alpha. Piper waited patiently just outside the pantry as her family greeted them. Kat smiled at her.

"Ready?" She mouthed. Piper nodded and Kat entered the family room. With a deep breath, Piper followed. The greetings to Kat died in everyone's throats as Piper came into view.

Settled on the love seat were Jack and Syd. On the long couch were her father, mother, Z, and Bridge. Boom and JD were settled in the armchairs while the kids crowded the floor. Her eyes immediately sought out her friends and brightened considerably when she saw Claudia nestled between Alycia and Ella, with Eli staring at her slack-jawed from his sister's other side. She waved weakly.

"Hi everyone." She greeted. Sky was the first to respond, shooting up from his seat and rushing towards his daughter. He stopped just short of her, eyeing her urgently to make sure she was okay. She smiled up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Hi Daddy." She whispered. That was it for Sky who bent down and wrapped his arms around her as best he could. She hugged him back, crying softly in the familiar safety of his arms. Another set of arms wrapped around the petite cadet and Piper looked up to find her mother crying and laughing as they hugged. Piper started crying harder at the sight.

"Mama." She hiccupped as five more people joined the hug. Piper looked behind her to see Troy and Thomas, there eyes suspiciously wet, beaming at her. Looking at the other three huggers, she smiled wobbly at her sister Paige and Leila and her brother Luke. Luke smiled up at her, barely seen among the various arms surrounding her.

"You're late." He told her and she started laughing and crying as her mother had been, complete with hiccups as she was surrounded by her loved ones.

Once the Tate's had stopped laughing, crying, and generally being a family, they stepped away so everyone else could say hello. The moment she was clear, Claudia, Alycia, Ella, and Eli rushed at her, Eli getting there first. Without a word to anyone, the young man had gathered her in his arms and was kissing the daylights out of her, stunning everyone in the room besides his parents and Syd. Ella, Alycia, and Claudia exchanged startled glances as they waited. When the need for oxygen finally forced them apart, he gently placed his forehead against hers and stared at her.

"I missed you." He whispered. Piper, eyes wide, nodded slowly, and some of her old self peeked through at her bemused reply.

"I can see that."

* * *

**End Notes:** About nine chapters to go! Gah!

Thanks to **general-joseph-dickson**, **Lauren**, **the real vampire**, **EstelKenobi **for reviewing! Remember, I'm trying to break 100 with Inheritance. Keep the reviews coming!

**Tierra:** You're gonna have to get a hotmail account (don't worry they're free). Then go to my webpage and on the left hand side there will be a button that says join (or something to that effect). Click there and go through the process that pops up and then let me know so I can accept you and make you Asst Mngr. And I knew the guy from the last TV show he was on, The Tribe, and trust me, he's better looking with his natural hair color. The blonde does _not_ help his looks. Go to TribeWorld online and character profiles and Bray. That's the guy who's playing Tyzonne. I prefer his Tribe look.

BTW, everyone should totally join PRUnited! It's a fantastic PR forum! The link is in my profile.

He'He'd


	22. Chapter 21

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** OC/OC (Piper Tate/Eli Carson), Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I am officially home for summer…which means I have to look for a job this week. Joy.

* * *

**Ronny**: _You know it's only a matter of time before you're going down. I've never lost._  
**Mack**: _Yeah, nor have I. Granted, I've only played Spencer, and that's not much to brag about._  
**Spencer**: (from other room) _I heard that._

* * *

Christmas had always been a joyful time; a time when the family would be together to celebrate and generally annoy each other with good cheer. While everyone agreed this Holiday season was more special than most, Piper was dreading the day when her parents realized she was behind in classwork. Crash courses are never fun. 

After the rather unexpected kiss, Eli had rarely left Piper's side. He'd practically been dragged from the Tate house that night, more than willing and wanting to sleep over. Everyone knew he wanted to keep Piper from slipping away again, but they also knew she had to get readjusted to being in the real world…and not remembering her time on the Astral Realm. Besides, Bridge would rather his son remain in one piece. Sky hadn't taken Eli's enthusiasm at Piper's return very well.

So it was a week after Christmas and Piper was lounging in the living room, lying on the couch, her head on Eli's lap, talking and laughing with Claudia, Alycia, and Ella. Eli was gently rubbing his hands through Piper's hair, grinning as Alycia regaled Piper with the story of Troy's training session with Tommy after her older brother had gotten caught bragging about his "mad skills."

"Piper?" Aimee's voice could be heard from the foyer. The teens glanced at each other.

"In the family room mom!" Piper yelled, not moving from her place. Ella and Alycia exchanged amused grins at the two while Claudia quickly snapped another picture; the Terran City native had received a brand new camera or Christmas from her grandfather Leo with instructions to go nuts. She had happily obliged.

"Hi honey. We just had a meeting at base. You want to return to the academy, correct?" Aimee asked as she appeared in the room. Piper sat up on her elbows and nodded.

"Of course. No coma's gonna stop me from being a ranger." She informed her. Aimee smiled and Z and Syd walked in, each carrying a box. Piper sat up all the way, suddenly wary.

"Well, you need to get to work then." Aimee told her. Seeing what was in the boxes, Piper groaned and plopped back down against Eli, covering her face with an arm. Aimee, Z, and Syd all laughed.

"Kill me now." Piper muttered, peaking up to see Eli's amused expression as he riffled through the nearest box with one hand.

"Don't worry Pipe, we'll help you!" Claudia grinned at her, clearly excited by the prospect. Piper looked over at her, a scowl on her face.

"You need a personality, stat." She told her. Claudia rolled her eyes, still grinning.

"Claud's right, we'll help you Pi." Alycia told her, smiling. Ella nodded and Eli chuckled.

"You'll be caught up in no time."

* * *

"Okay sweetie, you know what was happening when you were in a coma, right?" Aimee asked two days later. Piper had been doing homework and tests and quizzes and reading non-stop the past two days and was excited about the break, even if the break involved sparring with her father and grandfather. 

"Uh huh. We're gonna see if I learned anything while I was asleep for two months." She replied, quirking an eye at Eli. He smirked. Aimee rolled her eyes at the two.

"You ready?" Sky asked, standing from where he'd been stretching. Piper nodded, an odd look on her face as she and Sky fell into fighting stances. Off to the side, Tommy frowned at Piper, who was extremely relaxed, almost flippant in her carriage. He nearly expected her to fake a yawn.

Predictably, she shot out first, her fist being easily blocked by Sky who twisted and turned so she fell to the ground. Looking dazed, she flipped back onto her feet. Shaking her head as if to clear it, she eyed her father.

"I just got out of a coma, cut me some slack." She joked. Sky raised and eyebrow and dropped into a spin kick. Tommy was startled when Piper almost reflexively jumped to avoid it and snapped a kick into Sky's stomach. A dam seemed to have broken as Piper became a whirlwind, kicks and punches flying in from every direction and she never seemed to be in the same place for more than five seconds as she flipped and slid around the former blue and red ranger. Within moments Sky had erected a shield to protect himself from his daughters attack. Seeing Sky weakening, Tommy stepped forward.

"ENOUGH!" He yelled. Piper froze in mid-air, falling to the ground in shock. Sky was panting and sweating as he plopped to the ground, worn out. Tommy swallowed when he realized Piper hadn't broken a sweat. Seeing what she had done, Piper's eyes widened and she bit her lip, worry crossing her face as Eli went to calm her down and Aimee went to check on Sky. The commander waved his wife away, a small grin on his face as he eyed his daughter.

"I really want to meet Dulcea." Was all he said as he finally stood. Piper gave a half smile, eyes uncertain.

"Sorry?"

"Don't be sorry. Feel sorry for whoever gets on your bad side." He joked, getting up. "You could easily teach the defense class. Good thing you're my assistant."

"Daddy, I…" She trailed off as Sky frowned at her.

"Don't worry Piper. Tyche took over for a second, it wasn't entirely you." He assured her. Instead of looking reassured, Piper's mouth fell open a bit as shock flashed across her face. Tommy sighed.

"Piper? Lets go." He ordered. Piper seemed to withdraw into herself as his words registered and she shook her head vehemently.

"I'll hurt you." She whispered, fear evident in her eyes. Tommy's expression didn't change as he pointed to the mat. Seeing he wasn't about to budge, Piper bit her lip and allowed Eli to help her up. The only Carson boy shot Tommy an irritated look as Piper stepped forward uncertainly. Tommy stepped forward and without warning attacked. Startled, Piper squealed and went on the defensive as Tommy attacked. Knowing she was holding back, he pressed further, sweeping her feet out from under her. That seemed to do it as she immediately flipped back up, her eyes glowing a faint gold. Nodding to himself, he waited for Tyche to attack. He wasn't disappointed.

Without warning, she lashed out, her foot connecting solidly with Tommy's mid-section. Holding it and panting, he looked up at her and grinned. Tyche was observing him coolly, waiting for him to react as her eyes pulsed from gold to brown to gold and back again as Piper desperately tried to keep Tyche from killing her grandfather. Getting to his feet, he lashed out with a punch. Tyche raised an eyebrow and without a word, Tommy was sent flying as he bounced off a silver force field. Groaning as he got back up, he stalked forward.

"No cheating Tyche." He warned, faking a punch before kicking her mid-section. Tyche's head snapped up as the glow of her eyes spread to cover her entire body. Tommy shielded his eyes as Piper's normal countenance was replaced with a very familiar armor clad warrior. Tommy's eyes widened as Tyche, now wearing his old armor, attacked. Going on pure instinct, he fought back, neither gaining an inch as they parried back and forth. Subconsciously, Tommy knew Tyche was playing with him and for some reason, that absurdly pleased him.

Without warning, Tyche stopped fighting, causing Tommy to fly over her head and fall on the ground in an undignified heap. Grimacing, he looked up to see Tyche shudder and the armor fall away to reveal Piper, back to normal, staring around in alarm. Glancing around, it wasn't hard to see why. Two of the walls were dented from where Tommy had crashed into them and three benches were cracked in half from when he'd landed on them. Six punching bags had somehow ended up thrown into a heap in a corner, a corner Tommy was fairly certain he'd been thrown into more than once. Shaking his head, he struggled to his feet, wincing when he realized he'd broken at least three ribs, possibly more.

"Very good. Dulcea taught you well." Tommy told her, hiding the pain with a bright and proud smile. Piper tentively smiled back, still apparently in shock over what had happened. Nodding to the group, he smiled.

"We'll meet again tomorrow, same time." He told them. Sky, Aimee, and Eli all nodded while Piper looked at her family in agitation.

"We will?" She squeaked. Tommy chuckled, wincing as his ribs and chest protested.

"We will. You need to learn to control Tyche during a fight. Best way to do that is to practice. You can only practice when you fight. We'll be back tomorrow." He told her. Piper swallowed and nodded, some sort of resolve entering her eyes as his reasoning penetrated her mind. Tommy smiled at her and Eli standing beside her.

"Head home, I think you have to take a test on math tomorrow." He reminded her. Piper nodded, biting her lip and allowing Eli to steer her out the door. Once he was sure she was gone, Tommy nearly fell to the ground, groaning. Aimee and Sky rushed forward. Tommy waved em away.

"Broke a few ribs. Hurts to stand." He mumbled as Aimee and Sky hauled him onto his feet. The trhree made there way to the Medical wing, not looking forward to explaining to Felix (or Simba as Aimee still called him) how exactly Tommy and Sky had gotten hurt.

"She's good. And she was fighting to control her. She can't be in the normal hand-to-hand class anymore. I'll train her myself." Tommy informed them as they walked down the hall. Sky and Aimee exchanged worried glances.

"Dad…." Aimee began but Tommy cut her off.

"Don't worry, I won't overdue it. We'll use the simudeck so she can't hurt anyone. I need you to design a program with the originals as the opponents. Everything you can think of to keep it real, but difficult." He told Aimee as they came to the door. The former Lunar and Green ranger nodded as Felix and Kat began fussing over her father, her step-mother having seen the fight through the security feed.

* * *

"Hey." Eli greeted Piper later that night. Piper looked up from her place on the roof, a small smile on her face. 

"Following me again, Eli?" She asked teasingly. Eli smiled worriedly.

"After what happened earlier, I think so." He replied, sitting down behind her. Piper's expression fell and she turned back to staring out over the field to the city blinking in the distance.

"I lost myself Eli." She whispered. Eli wrapped his arms around her as she leaned back against his chest. He kissed the side of her head.

"But you came back." He reminded her as he continued kissing her head. Piper sighed.

"I saw what I was doing. I…I could feel Tyche within me. It, she, whatever, burned." She murmured. Eli buried his face into the side of her neck, breathing in Piper's familiar scent.

"I could see Tyche too. You're eyes glowed gold when Tyche was in control." He told her. Piper bit her lip, tears gathering in her eyes.

"What's happening to me, Eli?" She whispered brokenly. He swallowed.

"I don't know." He admitted. A tear slid down Piper's cheek, falling with a soft plunk onto Eli's hand entwined with hers. Eli gently turned her so he could look her in the eye.

"But whatever's happening to you, we'll face it head on." He told her, wiping the tears away with a thumb. She looked up at him hopefully and his heart clenched, not knowing if he could keep that promise. Leaning down to kiss her softly, he closed his eyes.

"I promise you Piper, whatever it is, we'll face it together."

* * *

**End Notes:** There's the long promised action (or Tommy whumping as EstelKenobi so eloquently put it). I don't have an easy time writing fight scenes so…that's what took so long with this one. 

**Tierra:** JadedRose is giving me some issues right now so…let me get back to you on that. Glad you liked the last chapter.

Thanks to **Lauren**, **general-joseph-dickson**, **Estel Kenobi**, **Carline**, **Lady-Payne**, **L123o123v123e123**, and **the real vampire** for the reviews!


	23. Chapter 22

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **The very first line mentions Mack and Andrew…for more back-story on the Andrew's friendship with Tommy, check out Operation Dino, my new one-shot.

* * *

**Buffy:**_ Come on, we fight monsters, this is what we do. They show up, they scare us, I beat them up, and they go away._

* * *

Piper was happily lying in her hammock, a Christmas/Thank-God-You-Woke-Up-Cause-Your-Granddad-Was-Going-To-Drive-My-Dad-Insane present from Mack Hartford, reading Wicked and taking a well-needed break from her parents, when a shadow had blocked out the sun. Squinting, she smiled when she saw the semi-possessed pink ranger. 

"Hi Nikki." She greeted her, moving to get up. Unfortunately, she was still unused to the hammock and fell flat on her face. "Ow."

"You okay?" Nikki asked as she helped Piper up. The first year cadet nodded, brushing her clothes off.

"Just peachy. You?" She asked, finally looking up. Nikki shrugged, appearing extremely bored. Now that she knew the truth though, Piper could see the worry and exhaustion in the pink ranger's eyes. And she knew it was just Nikki, Apate wasn't in control. According to what her grandfather had informed her, Apate and Nikki kept battling over the pink ranger's body and Piper could see that it was taking its tole on the pink ranger. She placed a hand on the older girls arm and ignored the odd jolt she received.

"Thanks for looking out for me." She told her quietly, and hid a smile at Nikki's bewildered and slightly alarmed expression.

"What…what do you mean?" She asked tentively. Piper shrugged, seemingly nonchalant as she dropped her hand.

"Grandma told me you took it upon yourself to guard my room every chance you got. So, thanks." She explained, bending down to pick up her book. Nikki swallowed and looked away. Piper's brow furrowed in worry when she noticed how tense her brother's girlfriend had suddenly become.

"Speaking of Troy, do you know where he is?" Nikki asked abruptly. Piper frowned, thrown at the sudden topic change.

"Garage." She managed to reply, growing even more worried as Nikki nodded once and started walking away. Before she'd gotten very far, Nikki stopped and looked over her shoulder at the cadet.

"You're welcome." She told her before leaving Piper standing beside the still swinging hammock, book in hand and mouth slightly agape, completely oblivious to the angry eyes of her older brother watching the two from his bedroom.

* * *

That night, after soaking/playing in the hot tub and sauna with Eli, Sky, Tommy, and Aimee (Kat having begged off as she disliked being in water that wasn't bath related), Piper was in her room with the girls and Eli when Thomas walked. Piper glared. 

"Knock much?" She demanded, annoyed. Thomas glared right back.

"We need to talk." He told her, barely restraining his anger. Piper's eyes narrowed as Eli stopped massaging her shoulders.

"So talk." She ordered. Thomas glanced at the other occupants.

"Alone, Piper." He replied coolly. Piper raised an eyebrow as Alycia, Ella, and Claudia made to get up.

"No, whatever it is you want to say, you can say in front of my friends." She told him and the three girls sat back down. Glowering, Thomas shut the door and turned to glare at her. "Well?"

"Nikki Harris is evil. She tried to kill you." Thomas announced and was slightly confused when no one even blinked at the proclamation.

"Not Nikki, Apate. Anything else you want to announce that we know better than you?" Piper asked, still annoyed. Thomas frowned.

"Nikki was the one who tried framing you?" Thomas winced when it came out as more a question than statement. Piper rolled her eyes.

"Nope." She replied. Thomas stood in disbelief as Piper dismissed his worries without a thought.

"You're not worried?" He asked for clarification. Piper tilted her head thoughtfully, rolling her eyes when Eli straightened it again with his hands so he could continue his massage. The girls all snickered.

"Sure I'm worried. I'm worried about me, I'm worried about Nikki, my family, my friends, my boyfriend. Am I worried about getting killed by a possessed pink ranger who's dating my brother? Not so much, no." She conceded, wincing when Eli hit a painful knot the hot water hadn't been able to fix. Thomas stood in the middle of Piper's twin beds, baffled as the group continued coloring (the girls), massaging Piper (Eli), and watching the Wicked holo-movie (Piper).

"Nikki's possessed?" Thomas asked, stupefied. Piper nodded.

"Uh huh. By Apate." She replied distractedly as Fiyero and Elphaba sang her favorite song.

"Who'se Apate?" Thomas asked, still confused.

"Daughter of the Original Evil. Its okay though, I'm the Daughter of the Original Good, so its not like we're unmatched or anything. Of course, I still have no idea how to use my powers." She muttered the last part to herself and Thomas gaped at her.

"What?" He asked. Piper finally looked up, annoyed at the continued interruption of one of her favorite parts of the movie.

"Paying attention?" She asked and he nodded. "Okay, here's the deal cause mom and dad apparently forgot to clue you in. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there were four beings of supreme power. The Hemera and Aether and Nyx and Erebus were the embodiement of good and evil. Nyx got pregnant with Apate but Apate was causing all sorts of trouble—"

"She's still causing trouble." Ella muttered.

"—so the four of them agreed to lock Apate away until Hemera had a child to balance things out." Piper continued as if Ella hadn't spoken. "Only Hemera sent her daughter to Chronos, Lord of Time, to keep her until the universe was ready. Old Chronny couldn't keep Tyche, Hemera and Aether's daughter, forever though and eventually she was reborn. As me. Apate, whose spirit was released when Tyche was reborn, has decided to take control of Nikki while one of Apate's cronies is currently residing in Eddie Gates. Nikki doesn't seem to like losing her body though and is fighting back. Nikki's not in control when Apate takes over and everything that's happened so far seemingly because of Nikki is really Apate working through her body. My coma was so I could train with Dulcea and Grandpa on the Astral Realm but I can't remember it and I only know everything I've told you because Granddad, Mom, and Dad told me."

Alycia and Ella exchanged amused glances as Piper finished her rambled explaination. Claudia grinned at the thunderstruck green ranger.

"We only know 'cause Piper told us." She stated. Piper nodded.

"And they found out that I'm gonna have to go to Mirinoi, Edonei, Kerova, Aquitar, and Inquiris to gather a group of crystals cause Mommy Dearest wanted me to. Now, if you don't mind, us girls need to change into our jammies." Piper stood up, stretched and ushered her brother and boyfriend out the door, kissing the latter before shutting the door in there faces. Smirking, she turned around and eyed the girls.

"That went well, don't you think?"

* * *

**End Notes:** God, I love the Oliver-Tate family. They're so much fun to write. 

**L123o123v123e123 and general-joseph-dickson:** Thanks for the vote of confidence. I had so much trouble with those fight scenes for some odd reason and its good to know people still liked it.

**Tierra:** Trust me, I know the feeling. I moved a dozen times between 7th grade and 9th grade….and was home-schooled for roughly half that time. And my parents recently relocated to Denver due to my sister's health and I know NO ONE here. My closest friend is about 45 minutes away and neither of us drive (she's a little leery of driving since getting into a wreck freshman year and I just plain don't) so…we don't see each other often. And my best friend for the last 14 years lives in Arizona. So yeah, no worries.

BTW, the 2007 Hope For The World Fanfiction Awards is taking nominations until May 31st. Check out the site and send in your nominations. All nominations should be within the last year (starting at about August 2006) and _they do_ not have to be finished. So send em in!


	24. Chapter 23

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **More action….gotta love it.

* * *

**Willow:**_I'm not afraid. You'd think I'd be afraid, but I'm not._

* * *

Going back to school was an experience in itself, for the simple fact that _everyone_ was being nice, even Eddie. It was a little unsettling.

"Everyone was really worried when you fell unconscious. And the fact that Commander Oliver had ordered C Squad to patrol the base didn't help." Ella pointed out when Piper mentioned it at lunch two weeks after starting classes again. Claudia swallowed her food and nodded.

"Yeah, and for the first five hours of you're collapse, the base locked down and everyone who wasn't senior level or on B or C squad was ordered to remain in there rooms and common areas. The doors were fully locked and…it scared the crap out of the cadets. Why do you think half of them haven't come back?" She asked. Piper blinked.

"Is that why the commons was so deserted?" She asked in shock. Alycia nodded.

"Uh huh, there are only two other dragons left, Pieters and Carlson. There are three Triceratops left, four Mastodons, two Pterodactyls, and five T-Rex's. To be honest, I don't see why they don't just close three of the commons and move everyone into the other three. Less lonely that way." She mentioned, spearing a slice of meat. She made a face at the offending food but ate it anyway. Piper chuckled.

"I'm sorry, but Mac and cheese should not have ham slices in it. Its just gross." The dark skinned girl grumbled once she had swallowed. Claudia grimaced down at her own meatloaf as Ella and Piper giggled.

"I'll take your ham and Mac and cheese over this any day." She mentioned. The girls looked at her in surprise.

"It tastes like chicken." She defended herself. The three girls cracked up, Claudia joining them within a matter of seconds. They only calmed down when someone cleared there throat. The girls looked up to find Tommy and Sky standing in front of the table. Piper smiled brightly.

"Hiya Daddy, Grandpa." She greeted them. "What's up?"

"Piper, we're not going to be training this afternoon but I still want to see you. Meet me in my office." Tommy told her seriously. Piper's smile fell and she nodded.

"Is there anything wrong Commander?" Claudia asked after a bit of hesitation. Tommy shook his head and smiled.

"No, Piper and I just have to discuss some things." He explained. Claudia nodded and turned back to her plate. Tommy and Sky left to join Kat and Aimee across the room. Piper watched them go, her face unreadable.

"Piper?" Ella asked, placing a hand on her arm. Ella winced as a shock hit her fingers, traveling up her arm and seeming to settle in her stomach. Sparing her baffled friend a concerned look, Alycia waved a hand in Piper's face.

"Piper? Houston calling Piper, do you read?" She joked. Piper turned to them in confusion and the girl's mouths dropped open when they saw that her eyes were gold. Piper frowned.

"What?" She blinked and the gold was gone, replaced by the familiar blue. Claudia, Alycia, and Ella exchanged startled glances.

"Piper…you're eyes…" Claudia trailed off, unable to finish.

"What about my eyes?" She asked, remembering what Eli had told her about her eyes when Tyche took over.

"They were gold." Ella blurted out. Piper's eyes widened and she swallowed.

"Gold?" she asked faintly. Ella nodded.

"Gold. When you blinked they changed back." She explained her eyes slightly unfocused. Recognizing the look, her concern doubled. If Ella was calling Eli telepathically, they must have thought something was seriously wrong. The girls remained silent until Eli rushed in a few minutes later. As Eli began fussing, Piper's gaze slid over to Nikki, sitting with B Squad. The pink ranger suddenly looked up and Piper swallowed when Nikki's eyes flashed red. Turning back to her friends, Piper tried getting her breathing back under control. It wasn't working.

"I have to go." She stood up, nearly dropping her tray in the process. Only Eli's quick reflexes saved her from getting a tongue lashing from the cafeteria staff. Shooting Eli a grateful look, Piper ran out the room.

* * *

Smiling wickedly, Nikki turned to see Eddie Gates looking at her for instructions. Nodding every so slightly, she smiled. Understanding his orders, Eddie grinned maliciously. He turned back to Michelle and Gavin and spoke quietly to them before leaving. Nikki turned to Troy when she realized he was talking to her.

"Is everything okay, Nikki?" Troy asked worriedly. Nikki smiled, and nodded, her eyes sparking with barley contained glee.

"Everything's wonderful, Troy, don't worry. Everything's absolutely….wonderful." She purred before leaning in to steal a kiss. Troy grinned and kissed her, completely oblivious to the dark look of glee in his girlfriends eyes.

* * *

Eddie smirked when he'd finally tracked Piper down. She was with her four friends, they having followed after her. Eddie's eyes sparked red as Phobos took over. Glancing around, Phobos waved a hand over his face and within second his appearance had changed to that of Gavin, the youngest member of C Squad. Eddie smirked as he readjusted his uniform.

"Cadets!" He called, walking from around the building. The five first years looked up, Eli scowling until he saw who it was. Eddie barely contained a grin when he saw the tear tracks on Piper's face. They nodded hello.

"What is it?" Eli asked. 'Gavin' shrugged.

"Dr. Manx sent me to give you a message. She needs the five of you to meet her at the bleachers before class so she can talk to you about something. She says it's got to do with your coma, Tate, and that the bleachers are the only place she can think of where no one can overhear." 'Gavin' told them. Piper nodded, wiping her face.

"Thanks Gavin." She smiled at him. Grinning back, he nodded and headed back inside the building. Once out of sight, he switched back to his normal appearance. Nikki walked up, an expectant look on her face. Eddie nodded.

"It's been done; they'll be at the bleachers in a few minutes." He explained and Nikki smiled evilly.

"Wonderful." She smirked and pulled what appeared to be a standard SPD Blaster from her backpack. "You know what to do now."

Eddie nodded and took the offered gun. "I do Apate." He agreed. Nikki's eyes flashed in pleasure as Eddie changed to Kat Manx and left, the gun hidden in 'her' satchel.

* * *

"Is anyone else getting a really bad feeling about this?" Claudia murmured. The five of them had arrived at the bleachers at exactly ten till, expecting to see Dr. Manx already there. She wasn't and the bleachers were completely devoid of life. Piper looked around and brightened when she saw her grandmother making her ways towards them. She hopped off the bench and smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She felt Eli come up behind her and she leaned into his body, quirking her lips when Eli placed an arm around her middle and leaned his head against hers.

"What's up Grandma?" Piper asked. 'Dr. Manx' smirked at her and Piper's expression fell. As Kat pulled her hand from her satchel, Piper stepped out of Eli's embrace to stand protectively in front of her friends.

"You're not my grandmother." She stated and nearly stopped breathing when the imposter pulled out a SPD Blaster. She didn't have to look behind her to know Alycia, Claudia, and Ella were huddled behind her and Eli was moving to cover her back.

"No I'm not….Tyche."

* * *

**End Notes:** …Gotta love cliffies! ducks flying toaster

Thanks to **the real vampire**, **general-joseph-dickson**, **Lauren**, and **Tierra** for the reviews.

**Lauren:** Yes, I agree, Nikki is awesome. And I'm glad you turned around on her, Nikki's not bad she's just….misunderstood.

**Tierra:** I love YT (I've made a few videos, link is on my profile page). If you want any of the episodes of PR, come and join us at PRU, we have all 12 eps of OO up for download as well as nearly all of MF and SPD. We're working on the rest of the seasons but…all your ep needs can be found there. And we're a friendly little bunch! The link is on my profile page.

I'm still working on JadedRose, its being an annoying little bugger. And I'm working on Hope so….big distraction.

Also, if ya'll check out my live journal, you'll find my graphics and banners and a few rec's I've made….including the greatest SPD crack!fic I've every read. Seriously, it's awesome!

See you next chapter!


	25. Chapter 24

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **I'm so sorry this took so long. See my end notes for an explaination. OH! **This** is Tyche's thoughts, _this _is regular thoughts.

* * *

**Buffy:**_ So are you going to kill me or are we just making small talk?_

* * *

Piper stared at the imposter, her fear quickly evaporating as anger took over. _Who does this chick think she's dealing with?! I'm Piper Elizabeth Tate, daughter of Sky and Aimee Tate and granddaughter of the great Tommy Oliver! Does this chick really think I'm going to be scared by a silly little SPD blaster?!_ Piper made a face as the imposter raised it towards them. _Apparently she does._

**Peace Piper. The foe you're facing is Phobos, a warrior sent to aid Apate. He's taken residence in an earth human. Who, I do not know. But whoever it is, is an innocent and therefore you cannot kill him.**

Piper nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice in her head. Blinking rapidly, she took a quick glance at her friends and saw they were not moving. _Who are you?_

**I am the part of you that is Tyche. In a sense, I **_**am**_** Tyche. But enough of that. Our body is still in very real danger. How do you wish to proceed?** The soft, gentle, flowing voice went silent. Piper swallowed, her eyes now fixed firmly on the imposter. Belatedly, she realized she had been talking.

"…idiots. Do you really think you can win against the great Apate, daughter of Darkness?" The imposter continued in this reign for some time before seemingly winding down. "Nevertheless, you shall feel the full brunt of your folly now!"

Piper couldn't help it, she snorted. Phobos paused, thrown, as her friends looked at her askance. She shrugged off their looks, turning to Phobos with a mocking smile.

"Nice speech, very dramatic. A bit cliché, though. I give it a six." She grinned as Phobos stuttered, unsure of Piper's flippant attitude. Next to her, Eli snickered but Claudia, Ella, and Alycia looked at each other in horror.

"Piper, I don't think making the evil shapeshifter with the SPD blaster angry is a good idea!" Ella hissed. Piper glanced at her and smiled. _I have a plan._ She projected. Ella blinked, startled as Piper telepathically called the other three. _Follow my lead._

"You know Phobos," she paused as an expression of shock flashed across the shape shifters features. "Yes, I know you're Phobos. Did you really think my mother sent me to the future without prior knowledge of the past? Tsk, tsk, you _are_ lacking."

"Stay back!" Phobos ordered, waving the blaster wildly. Piper's eyes narrowed in on the weapon.

_Claudia, you once said you were working on mastering telekinesis, right?_ Claudia looked at her in horror.

_Yes but I—_ She began frantically but Piper cut her off.

_I have faith in you. On my mark, get the blaster away from him. Eli, we could use a few doubles. Alycia---_

The dark-skinned girl cut her off much in the same way Piper had cut off Claudia. _I'll phase him through the ground._

Piper barely held in a snort. _You've been watching the X-Men movies too much._ She admonished lightly before the five of them turned to face Phobos. Startled at the sudden cohesion of the Quartet, he stepped back.

"What are you doing?" He demanded. Piper smirked.

"What, the great and evil Phobos is scared of a bunch of teenagers? Oh, yeah, that's right. We're teenagers with attitude!" She smirked. _NOW!_

With that command, Piper watched in satisfaction as Claudia successfully flung the blaster from the shocked imposter's grasp just as Alycia dived to his feet and phased the two through the ground and Eli duplicated himself twice. Piper, Ella, and Claudia snickered at Phobos's baffled expression as the three Eli's surrounded him angrily, prepared for any movement. Alycia rose from the earth behind the three girls. Ella placed a hand on Piper's arm.

"I contacted Dad. He said they'll be here in a few." She whispered. Piper nodded, turning back to Phobos. Piper's eyes widened when she suddenly noticed a ring of energy forming around Phobos, destroying the earth trapping him.

"Eli, get out of there!" She snapped without thinking as the energy starting moving out. Eli didn't have to be told twice and soon he had reclaimed his duplicates and was standing next to her. Piper, Eli, Alycia, and Claudia were watching Phobos break free in horror and didn't notice as a tendril of gold light suddenly leapt into Ella. It faded just as Phobos fully pulled himself free and the senior SPD officers and Commander Oliver ran into view.

"Stop!" Ella threw a hand at the adults, who suddenly found their way barred by an impenetrable barrier. The four cadets stepped back in shock. Ella's eyes were a vibrant yellow, not unlike Piper's own eyes when Tyche took over. She quirked her lips at the four cadets before turning to Phobos.

"Hello Phobos." She greeted serenely, in direct contrast to growling and snarling imposter.

"Cratus!" Phobos spat. Ella—Cratus, raised an eyebrow and folded her arms in amusement.

"Is that any way to greet an old foe?" She asked, mirth lacing her voice. Phobos flinched and Cratus's expression suddenly lost all humor, to be replaced with a cold stare that would have frozen smarter men than the one in front of her.

"Leave, Phobos and do not return. Apate cannot protect you from my wrath. You're place in this war is as my opposite. If Tyche or her companions are harmed in any way, I will become very cranky and we both know what happens when I get cranky." She warned. Phobos flinched again and Eli, Alycia, and Claudia all gaped. Piper, on the other hand, couldn't help but giggle. Cratus turned amused eyes on Piper.

"My Lady, it is an honor to finally meet you." She tilted her head down. Piper frowned, glancing at Phobos. Seeing her distraction, Cratus waved a hand and Phobos suddenly disappeared. Wide-eyed, she looked at Cratus in shock.

"How…? Where…? Who are you?" She finally asked. Cratus smiled gently.

"You're parents did not leave you without protectors Tyche. I am Cratus, Warrior of Strength. Your friend, Eleanora, agreed to allow me access to her body when I explained I was sent here to protect you. Eleanora can call upon me when I am needed but for now…I sleep." She explained. She went completely still and suddenly the yellow light in Ella's eyes faded as the girl blinked rapidly. Without warning, the brunette toppled over.

"Ella!" Piper exclaimed, dropping to her knees. Ella blinked blearily up at her as the adults reached them, the barrier having vanished when Cratus had left Ella.

"She sent him to the Pacific ocean." She giggled. Piper blinked owlishly at her as Syd began checking Ella over.

"The Pacific ocean?" She asked belatedly. Ella nodded, wincing as the group swam.

"She's wicked powerful. It was nifty."

* * *

**End Notes:** I am so sorry this has taken so long to get up. I haven't really been up to writing for a while, not since May 30th. I kinda….got run over by a moped. The guy was drunk, driving on the wrong side of the road, and he lost control of the stupid thing. Long story short, I zigged when I should have zagged and...it was bad. 

Thanks to **general-joseph-dickson**, **Tierra**, **Lauren**, **Enigmaforum**, **the real vampire**, **L123o123v123e123** for the reviews!


	26. Chapter 25

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Meh. Enjoy!

* * *

**Buffy:**_We are totally overreacting._  
**Xander:**_But its fun, isn't it?_

* * *

It was the day after Phobos' attack and Cratus' appearances. It also happened to be the weekly poker session between the former members of B Squad. Due to everything that had happened that week, everyone had decided to hold it in Sky and Aimee's office instead of at the Tate house.

"Do you really think this is a good idea? I mean, maybe we should post-pone or something." Sky suggested as he helped his wife set up the poker table. Aimee eyed him skeptically as she added two extra chairs.

"Sky, honey, we need a break. And this way we can talk about what's going on without worrying about people overhearing. Besides, Syd thinks it's a good idea and the last time you cancelled, she kept you from active duty for a week, remember?" She pointed out. Sky made a face. Syd had stated a medical issue and even though it was psychologically rather than physically, Cruger had agreed. Somehow Sky knew Tommy would be the same way.

"Good point. Though that was cause I was dealing with the fact you went undercover without telling me." He pointed out a bit sourly. Aimee looked at him warily.

"Please don't tell me we're going to start this argument again?" She asked him. Sky opened his mouth to reply and she cut him off. "Yes, I know it was dangerous but I had Syd and Z with me, No, I'll never go undercover as a stripper again, yes, I know my dad didn't approve but at least he understood the reasoning, I love you and only you, and no I won't ever go into a situation without backup again. Anything new today?"

"You're going on about that again? Dude, get over it already, I have." Jack commented as he walked in with a cooler. Sky shot Jack an annoyed look before turning to Aimee when she placed a hand on his arm.

"Honey lets not argue, okay? We have too much to deal with already; I don't want to add an angry husband on top of it." She asked quietly and pleadingly. Sky's expression softened and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I know and neither do I." He replied, bending down to kiss her. She inched away, a frown on her face and a twinkle in her eye. Inwardly, Sky groaned. Twinkling eyes never meant anything good. At least not for the person they were aimed at. "What?"

"I didn't realize, Sky. What are we going to tell the kids?" She asked mock worriedly. Sky frowned and mentally went through the conversation in his head. He suddenly got it and rolled his eyes.

"Very funny Aims. I get enough of that from the cadets, do you really have to add to it?" He asked rhetorically. He never expected an answer and Aimee never gave him one. They both knew the only reason he dealt with the annoying speculation without bashing in heads was because he'd had Aimee to joke about it with.

"Dude, you stop acting like your hiding the fact you're gay and the cadets will stop speculating that you _are_ gay." Jack commented from his place beside the cooler. Sky glared at him.

"I do not act like I'm hiding the fact I'm gay!" he argued.

"You're gay?" Z asked as she walked in. "Wow, I never knew. Guess I owe Lt.'s Negra and Arrow twenty bucks after all."

"No I'm not." Sky repeated stubbornly.

"Yes you are." Jack shot back.

"No I'm not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too"

"Are not."

"You are too Sky." Syd said as she walked in. She sat down on Jack's lap and looked at him. "What did I just accuse him of?"

"That he's gay, babe." Jack replied, ignoring Sky's glare. Syd nodded.

"Got it." She replied. Sky threw his hands up in mock surrender as Aimee and Z giggled.

"Got what?" Bridge asked as he walked in with the box of chips.

"Jack, from the looks of it." Tommy replied as he and Kat walked in behind him to see Syd and Jack snuggling. Syd stuck her tongue out at the Commander. Tommy smiled and did the same back at her. Syd blinked. Kat and Aimee exchanged amused looks as Bridge snickered.

"Congrats Dr. O. You finally shocked the Pink Princess into shutting up." Z smirked. Syd glared at Z.

"Very funny Elizabeth." She retorted mock angrily. Z smirked and stuck her tongue out. Kat sighed loudly.

"And here I thought they were adults." She said loudly. Jack, Syd, Bridge, Z, Sky, Aimee eyed her bemusedly.

"Whoever said we were adults?" Jack asked. Syd nodded.

"They obviously assumed." She agreed. Aimee smirked.

"And we all know what assuming does." She commented.

"It makes an ass of you and me!" Z finished. Bridge and Sky glanced at each other and stepped away from the four officers.

"I'm not with them." They chorused only to wince when Z and Aimee slapped them.

"So, are we doing this or are we doing this? By the way, I invited Dad and Kat." Aimee said loudly to cover the snickering from Jack and Syd and the chuckles from Tommy and Kat. Sky grinned and kissed his wife.

"I'd wondered why you'd added two chairs." He commented as he sat down. Jack, Syd, Bridge, and Z laughed, assuring the commander and scientist they didn't mind in the slightest. Tommy looked around with a bemused expression; they were all spread out with none of the couples sitting together. Bridge smiled knowingly.

"We used to sit next to our significant others but we all kept cheating so everyone has to sit two across from their husband or wife." Bridge explained. Tommy snickered and he and Kat sat down. Aimee smiled; it seemed no matter how many people they had it always ended up with the women on one side and the guys on the other. The next few minutes were spent joking and teasing as everyone got settled, collected their chips, got drinks (with Tommy joking that he didn't see the beer and certainly never drank any as he grabbed a can for himself), and Z and Syd passed around the snack foods.

"So….Black Jack?" Jack asked jokingly. The group groaned.

"That jokes getting old, Jack." Sky told him. Jack gave Sky the finger which the former blue and red ranger returned with a smirk. Syd and Aimee exchanged exasperated glances while Bridge, Z, Tommy, and Kat snickered.

"Seriously, what do we want to start with?" Jack asked, shuffling the cards. Sky exchanged a smirk with Tommy. Aimee groaned.

"I knew playing with these two was going to be a bad idea but do I ever listen to my common sense? No." She grumbled. The group chuckled.

"Don't worry hun, you get that from your father." Kat joked. Tommy chuckled then abruptly stopped and stared at his wife, frowning.

"Hey, wait a minute…!" The others laughed as Kat smiled sweetly at him from across the table.

"Yes, Honey?" She asked innocently. Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Let's just play." He grumbled. Aimee elbowed Kat lightly and the two women broke down in giggles which sent the others off again. Tommy just sighed. He was used to it.

"Texas Hold Em." Sky suggested. The others nodded and Jack started the game. Aimee studied everyone as they looked at their cards, noting that Bridge lips were quirking, meaning he had a good hand and Syd's cards were practically on top of each other, meaning she had a sucky hand. Z, as always, was hard to read as was Jack but from the way Z was pushing her back and the way Jack was playing with a dread, she knew they had bad hands. Her father was relaxed, his cards down, studying the group. She smiled. Thanks to tips from her uncles she knew he had a good hand. Kat was frowning but that was probably because she didn't play card games all that often and was thinking of the game itself rather than the cards. Finally Sky was smirking which was nothing new. She'd yet to figure out his physical tip offs.

Jack looked over at Kat. "You're bet Kat."

Kat smiled and tossed in 50 cents. Aimee smiled. She had a good hand. Kat always bet high when she had a good hand. She was fairly predictable that way. Whether her _hand_ stayed good was always up for grabs.

The game continued with first Z, then Aimee, Syd, and finally Jack all folding. Aimee eyed the ever expanding pot before studying her father, stepmother, husband and friend. "Do you think Piper is going to be okay with Cratus showing up?" She asked.

Kat and Sky both looked up, startled. Aimee hid a smile, neither one had good hands but were struggling to stay on. Tommy and Bridge weren't fazed, meaning they had good hands.

"I think she will. She is part Oliver and Oliver's have always been resilient." Tommy replied, throwing in a dollar. Sky sighed and folded. Bridge called and Kat folded as well. Z and Aimee exchanged amused looks as Bridge glared at Tommy from over his cards. Black Christmas didn't notice.

"She's also a Tate, meaning she's going to be able to deal with the weird and unexplainable." Jack commented. Sky shot Jack a thankful look at the compliment.

"I'm more worried about Ella to be honest. She's been able to deal with Piper because she's not acting any differently. Cratus definitely acted differently than Ella." Z put her two cents in. Syd waved her concern away.

"The thing with that though is Ella knew what she was doing when she allowed Cratus in. She's going to be fine. And so will Piper. Its Nikki I'm the most worried about. She's struggling and she's losing. She's not going to be able to hold Apate off for much longer. Nikki's strong but she's not that strong. She's going to need help." Syd said quietly as Tommy and Bridge continued the game.

"And she'll have us. She'll have Piper, not to mention the other four. And she'll have Troy and the rest of B Squad." Tommy told them. "Piper told Thomas who told Trini and Ian. They're really worried about Nikki now that they know what's going on. Troy's knows something's wrong he just doesn't know what. We need to tell him by the way."

Aimee nodded in agreement. "He'll be pissed if he finds out after the fact. Helios said Apate is going to be strong enough to fully possess Nikki within the week which means the Apate/Tyche showdown will be within the next month." She explained. Z glanced at her.

"Any word from Salene?" She asked sympathetically. Aimee shook her head no as she thought of her old friend. After the destruction of the medallion, Salene had gradually faded away until five years after the battle she had disappeared all together. Helios said it was because the medallion was her connection with the mortal world and when the medallion shattered, that connection was broken. They'd put together a new medallion but they didn't have the power to connect Salene to it. It was doubtful they ever would. Before she'd disappeared completely, she'd made Helios promise to stay and help Aimee, JD, and there families in any way possible, a promise he'd performed faithfully.

"I wouldn't worry about the battle too much. Its going to be hard but I have a feeling its not the final showdown. It's a major battle, true, but its not the final fight." Bridge told her. Everyone looked at him. He'd finally voiced what everyone had been thinking but no one had been willing to say.

They were in a war.

* * *

**End Notes:** Kinda filler-ish, I know, but it had to be done. Oh well.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes, they meant a lot. They still haven't found the guy but he's wanted for a couple accidents he caused so I might get my revenge eventually.

Thanks to L123o123v123e123, Lauren, general-joseph-dickson, Tierra, and the real vampire for the reviews.

I made "book covers" for THE, Inheritance, and the next two fics which as of right now are titled "Birthright" & "Lineage" I'm going to take a bit of a break before going into "Birthright" though so don't expect that one until late August, early September at the earliest. I should have this finished by the end of my summer vacation (I think). All my graphics can be found on my LiveJournal: JadeTate (grins). Go check em out!

Finally…EstelKenobi made a kicka trailer vid for Inheritance. It's freakin awesome and has Michelle Trachtenberg playing Piper and Anne Hathaway playing Aimee. She did a kicka job and you should all go check it out. It's on my Vlog on YouTube (Artemis85) or can be found on my LJ. Thanks again Estel!


	27. Chapter 26

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Meh. Enjoy!

* * *

**Xander:**_ I laugh in the face of danger! Then I hide until it goes away._

* * *

"Again" Tommy ordered, watching as Piper immediately went into the kata they'd been practicing for the past hour. Once she'd finished, Tommy opened his mouth to order her to do it again but stopped when he saw the expression on her face. She looked ready to kill him and given the fact she still couldn't fully control herself when Tyche took over, he didn't want to risk it. 

"Alright, are you ready for the program?" he asked, referring to the battle program designed for Cadet testing. Piper's expression brightened and she nodded happily. Tommy stifled a laugh; for some reason he couldn't fathom Piper adored the battle simulation the majority of the cadets despised. _Probably cause she's one of the few cadets who's come even close to beating it._ He thought wryly to himself.

"Computer, run program Cadet Testing Alpha; level six." He called. Immediately the training room transformed into the now familiar forest floor. Piper cracked her neck and stretched her arms above her head as the program began. Tommy moved to the side and watched as Piper looked the Krybots over.

"Alright you bucket of bolts—who's first?" She asked lightly. The orangehead at the front raised a sword and pointed at her. Off to the side, Tommy frowned. _That's different _he thought, watching as Piper began fighting furiously as the Krybots swarmed around her. Suddenly, Tommy straightened when Piper cried out in shock.

"What the…" He muttered, watching in horror as Piper arm began bleeding from the sword strike from orangehead.

"Computer, stop program." He snapped, rushing to help her up. Piper's eyes were impossibly large as she stared over his shoulder as Tommy prodded the wound.

"Uh…Grandpa?" She whispered. Tommy looked at her, taking in the terrified expression. "Didn't you stop the program?"

"Yes, why?" He asked, frowning. She pointed with her good arm.

"Then why are they still moving?" She whispered. Slowly, Tommy stood up and turned only to come face to face with a dozen Krybots all shuffling as they waited for the orangeheads orders. Tommy froze, watching as the orangehead seemed to stare him down, studying them. Then, without warning, he growled.

Eyes widening, Piper scrambled to her feet as the Krybots began marching towards them. Tommy grabbed her arm and, ignoring her irritated look, placed her safely behind him.

As her grandfather fell into a defensive stance, Piper grabbed her bandana and quickly tied off her arm. Once she was sure the wound was taken care of, she stepped up beside the Commander. At Tommy's angry look, she smirked.

"To quasi-quote mom—I'm an Oliver-Tate, get over it."

* * *

"Eli! Come on! I need help with my English!" Ella pouted as her older brother ignored her in favor of his novel. "I'll make you toast." 

That got his attention. "Who do you think I am, dad?" he asked in mock outrage. Ella just gave him a look and he smirked. "Make it muffily muffins and you have a deal."

Across the room, Alycia rolled her eyes as Eli wiggled his fingers in an eerie imitation of his father. She glanced at Claudia. "Of all the things he had to inherit from Uncle Bridge, why did his inability not to wriggle his fingers have to be one of them?" Claudia just giggled.

A few minutes passed in relative silence until Eli happened to glance up and noticed that Alycia had frozen. He frowned. "Aly?"

"Krybots have entered the base." Eli shot to his feet in shock when the smaller girl looked up—her eyes were glowing pink. Claudia gaped and moved away. Alycia frowned.

"You need not fear me." She told the other girl. Claudia eyed her.

"Yeah cause glowing eyes are so normal around here!" She mumbled. Alycia smiled knowingly at her before turning to the wary twins. She narrowed in on Ella.

"Cratus?"

Eli backed away from his sister as her eyes flashed yellow. He frowned as Ella—Cratus, turned to Alycia. "Aneris?" She asked, her voice deeper. Eli and Claudia exchanged panicked looks—Ella had been told not to call on Cratus unless she absolutely had to and would not have broken that oath unless something was very very wrong.

"Okay, everyone stop!" Eli yelled, his arms up. Ella and Alycia turned to him as one, attentive expressions on their faces. He blinked and knew without a doubt that Ella and Alycia were no longer on the premises—they would have yelled at him for yelling.

"Who are you?" Claudia asked, looking at Alycia. She raised an eyebrow and gave a little bow.

"I am Aneris, Warrior of Order." She paused, "Alycia says not to yell at the woman about to save your hide and to listen to me or she'll shave your legs when you go to sleep." She informed Eli, a puzzled frown on her face. Claudia snickered and nodded. Cratus suddenly looked up.

"Come, we must leave. We are in danger. The Krybots have penetrated the lower levels." She informed them. Eli's mouth fell open.

"Are you saying we're being invaded?" He asked incredulously. Cratus nodded. Eli didn't move, too stunned to do anything other than gape at the warrior. Something within Claudia snapped and the spark of leadership skills her family had always assured her was there flared to life.

"Come on, we can't go that way. We'll go through the escape hatches." She told them, moving to the closet. That snapped Eli out of it and he turned to her in surprise.

"Escape hatches?" He asked blankly even as Alycia and Ella moved to help the smaller girl heft the clothes to the side. Claudia glanced at him in surprise.

"Didn't you read the SPD handbook?" She asked in surprise. Eli gave her an exasperated look.

"Do I _look_ like uncle Sky?" he demanded. She shot him a dirty looked before pressing a small button in the back of the closet he'd never noticed before. Silently, a panel swung open. Without blinking, Alycia and Ella disappeared inside. Claudia rolled her eyes at the still dumbstruck boy before grabbing him and pushing him in before her. Hearing noises behind her, she quickly scrambled in, taking care to move some of the clothes in front of the door to hide it before sealing it behind her.

Just in time too as an blue-head burst into the room five seconds later. The four cadets froze as they heard the blue head snarl and announce they weren't there. Once they heard the tale-tell sounds of the door closing behind the blue head, they breathed a sigh of relief. Eli looked around, taking in the small tunnel with green emergency lights along the floor. Eli turned to Claudia, finally having shook off his shock.

"Where does this lead?" He asked. She smiled and twirled her fingers.

"These tunnels go through the entire base. There are access points on every floor and access ladders from floor to floor. Once you hit the bottom floor, you have to go down two more levels and then follow the tunnels. They lead to an access point underneath the stadium stands. From there, cadets and personnel can escape." She explained. He nodded. Aneris looked at her.

"How many of the cadets and personnel know about these corridors?" She asked. Claudia shrugged.

"I know B, C, and D squad know about them—they do routine patrols of them. As for everyone else—it depends on how many people actually read the manual." She told them. Eli smiled grimly.

"Not many then." He muttered and Claudia nodded in wry agreement. Cratus suddenly stood.

"Come, we must hurry, Tyche and her Kin are in trouble." She informed them before she and Aneris hurried down the corridor. Exchanging panicked looks, Claudia and Eli scrambled after them.

Within minutes they'd ran into a small group of worried 2nd and 3rd year cadets. Without preamble, Claudia instructed them to head down to the sub-levels, keeping quiet and to get out of the base, taking as many cadets as they found. Eli told the oldest, Joseph Matthews to get a hold of JD Oliver as soon as quickly. He gave them the address of B Squad Acres before rushing off after Cratus and Aneris.

"Here. I can sense Tyche' consciousness emerging—they are in battle." Aneris spoke quietly as they came upon a large panel lined in Yellow. Eli and Claudia glanced at each other before nodding, determined expressions filling there faces. Without a word, Cratus swung the panel open and the four could see a small army of Krybots, a few Orangeheads and one or two Bluheads, it was hard to tell. And in the center, being circled, were Commander Oliver and Piper. Both were holding there own but it was plain to see that they wouldn't last much longer.

"So what do you plan?" Cratus asked, looking at Eli. The young man blinked t her, confused.

"Why are you looking at me?!" He demanded. Cratus frowned.

"Are you not Tyche's second?" She asked, puzzled. Eli gaped.

"Her what?!" he exclaimed. Claudia growled and slapped a hand over Eli's mouth.

"First of all, not so loud. Second, Aneris, guard the panel, Cratus, go to Piper and Commander Oliver, Eli, got to the right, I'll go to the left. Our first priority is to get Piper and Commander Oliver out of here." She ordered. Without a word Aneris moved back so Cratus could dive through the panel, which she did before rolling a few feet and popping up in the center of the rabble. Ignoring this spectactular feet, Claudia jumped to the left and started fighting an Oranghead.

Shaking off his shock, Eli jumped to the right with a spin kick at three Krybots. They sparked as they fell, causing Eli to grin. As he spun to avoid a sword strike, he caught sight of the Commander and Cratus leading a bleeding but pissed off Piper to the panel. He looked around and caught Claudia's eyes. He jerked his head towards the panel and she nodded. Without even pausing to catch his breath, Eli changed tactics, pushing Krybots left and right, ripping out wires whenever they became accessible and, at one point, chopping off an orangehead's head with a borrowed sword.

As he finally found himself by the barrier, he heard a door open and looked up. His face went white as a 6 more Krybots entered the fray, 2 orangeheads right behind them. He glanced at Cratus.

"Can't you wave them away?" He panted, trading blows with a krybot. Cratus kicked the remaining bluehead off and shook her head.

"My power only works against Phobos. I cannot use it upon these fiends." She explained and then ducked as one of the new orangeheads charged her. Eli glanced back and was relieved to see Piper just inside the panel and Aneris and Claudia in front of it, fighting. Suddenly Eli was pushed back as Commander Oliver jump-kicked a krybot who'd been taking advantage of Eli's distraction. Tommy glanced back at the five cadets and his face tightened. Giving them a severe look, he pushed Cratus and Eli back and then stood defiantly in front of them, Aneris, Claudia, and Piper.

"That's enough!" He bellowed. The Krybots all halted, surprised at the command. Tommy didn't take his eyes off the small army as he spoke.

"Get Piper out of here. Get her to safety. I'll handle these bolt-heads." He growled in his best leader voice. Not willing to anger the pissed off Commander, Eli dove for the panel and was quickly followed by Claudia. Cratus and Aneris, however, moved to either side of the commander. He glanced at them quickly, his face a picture of controlled fury.

"Get out of here, NOW!" He yelled. Aneris and Cratus exchanged a look before simultaneously placing their hands on his shoulders. They and the Commander were incased in brilliant light of mixed gold and pink before it faded to reveal a figure Eli had only ever seen in holovids—the White Falcon Ninjette.

Tommy stared down in shock before looking at the two warriors. "How?" He whispered. Aneris smiled.

"It was destined years ago that a warrior of strength and wisdom would be taken under evil's wing before returning to the light. Though the warrior would be tempted to darkness time and time again, he would never stay as night for his soul is as pure as the softly fallen snow and no evil could corrupt it." She told him.

"And for his trouble, his most prized gift shall be bestowed upon him and his fellows. So it has been destined, so it has come to pass. Good luck Lord Falcon." Cratus finished before moving to jump in with Claudia, Eli, and Piper. As Aneris closed the panel, they could just see Tommy look up, and with a cry of rage, jump into the fray.

* * *

**End Notes:** First of all, terribly sorry for the delay. I've been working on The Heritage Trilogy for a good while now and with everything else that happened, was slowlyly starting to stress myself out with it. 

Then, as I was in the middle of writing this chapter, we got the call that the hospital had a set of lungs for my 15 year old sister. Well, as you can imagine, that took precedence over my fic.

But here it is! The newest chapter. Only 4 more to go!

Thanks to everyone for the reviews and well wishes. I promise that I will be finishing this before the end of September. You have my word.

This doesn't mean Birthright will begin right away though. If this summer has taught me anything it's that I need to focus on something other than The Heritage Trilogy and get my brain unscrambled—not to mention my life. I'll try not to have you hanging for a long time but once Inheritance finishes, there will be a few months where I will NOT be writing anything for the Heritage Universe. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.


	28. Chapter 27

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **This is roughly 2 1/2 chapters in one. So only one or two more to go. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**Mal: **_I aim to misbehave._

* * *

"What now?" Piper asked a few minutes after taking off from the holo-room. The five cadets were sitting somewhere on the seventeenth floor, on the opposite side of the building from the holo-room. Aneris was fussing over Piper's arm-the wound had finally stopped bleeding. 

"I don't know. Claudia?" Eli turned to Claudia only to scramble back in shock.

"God damnit! Who the hell are you?!" He yelled as Claudia's eyes glowed blue. Aneris and Cratus exchanged amused looks while Piper groaned a little.

"I am Dike, Warrior of Justice." She replied. She turned to Aneris, "What is the situation?"

It wasn't Aneris who answered, however, it was Piper. "The building is nearly completely overrun and the personnel and cadets who were captured have been ushered to the Cafeteria. Apate is overseeing there imprisonment." She replied automatically, Eli looked at her and was thankful to see her eyes were not glowing; he was getting annoyed that all these protectors of Tyche were popping up and invading his family and friends. And, though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he was jealous that none had chosen him.

"Piper?" He asked. She smiled.

"Tyche's just below the surface, waiting for the time when I'll need her. She can feel Mom and Dad. They're pissed, but okay. Grandpa's unconscious, Troy is really really confused and Thomas is really really annoyed. B Squad lost there morphers. Oh and everyone else is unhurt." She reported. Eli nodded, thankful she had checked on his parents.

"How do you wish to proceed? Apate is vulnerable, we can--" Dike began but was cut off by Piper.

"NO! Don't even think it!" She snapped. Dike frowned but remained silent. Eli studied Piper.

"Piper, what is she talking about?" He asked cautiously. Piper stared down at her hands.

"Apate is vulnerable while she's in Nikki's body. She can be hurt." She replied. Eli's brow furrowed.

"But that's a good thing, isn't it?" He asked tentively. Her head snapped up and Eli was surprised at the angry expression on her face.

"I'm NOT going to kill Nikki just to get rid of Apate! Nikki's an innocent and I will not do it and I will not allow you to do it either!" She told them, eyes roving over all four of them. "We'll find another way—one that won't hurt Nikki!"

Aneris, Cratus, and Dike lowered there heads in acceptance but Eli stood up. "So that's it, is it? Piper, she will kill you! And who knows how many others! Sometimes sacrifices have to be made! Look at Zordon! Look at every Ranger team on Earth! Hell, look at Claudia's grandmother! And your mom! Sacrifices sometimes have to be made! Do you really think Nikki would be happy about letting Apate use her body to kill?" He demanded, his chest heaving.

Piper slowly stood up. Eli trembled at the look in her eyes. Alongside the anger, fear, and worry was disappointment. She was disappointed in him.

"This is my decision to make Eli. If you can't abide by it…maybe you should leave." She told him softly. Eli paled.

"You can't mean that!" He whispered hoarsely. She turned away.

"I won't hurt Nikki Eli. And I won't allow anyone else too. She's an innocent." She whispered. Eli closed his eyes to stop the tears threatening to fall.

"How do you propose we get Apate out of Nikki? Exorcism?" He asked skeptically. He wasn't going to leave her alone, despite his anger at her for not willing to hurt Apate. Piper slowly turned around, an odd expression on her face.

"You know…that's not a bad idea."

* * *

"Where do you think they are?" Sky whispered while he and Aimee treated Tommy's wounds. The Commander had been carried into the room and unceremoniously dumped at there feet by six Krybots. Listening in on the Orangeheads report to Apate, Sky had been pleased to hear that Tommy had covered the Quint's as they had escaped from the holo-room. Aimee sniffled as she wiped at the various cuts on Tommy's face. 

"I just hope they're safe and had the good sense to get out of here." She whispered as Syd moved over to help. Bridge laid a hand on Aimee's shoulder.

"Aimee, you know the chances of them running…" he trailed off as she gave a soft laugh.

"I know. Those kids wouldn't run anymore than we would." She agreed. Sky and Jack exchanged grim looks.

"I knew we should have given them emergency morphers!" Jack grumbled. Z elbowed him.

"Not so loud!" She hissed, nodding towards Apate who stood at the front of the room, gloating.

"I have waited a long time for this moment. When the forces of good would bow before my feet." She grinned over at the comatose Tommy. "Or lay, as the case may be."

"Why you little…!" Thomas mumbled and it was only Troy holding him back that prevented him from confronting Apate. Thomas turned to him angrily.

"Troy, get it through your thick skull—Nikki's no longer on the premises!" He hissed but allowed his brother to sit him back down. Troy's eyes flashed angrily.

"I'm not going to watch as my look alike kills my girlfriend!" He whispered back angrily. Ian smacked them both upside the head. They turned to glare at him only to shrink back at his angered expression.

"This is so not the time, you two! Besides," he glanced at their father, "I have a feeling only Tyche can defeat Apate."

"Tyche? Piper?!" Troy whispered, "Oh boy."

Sky struggled to keep the amusement off his face—the twins reminded him a lot of himself. "You haven't seen her when Tyche takes over. She kicked your grandfather's ass." He whispered.

"Did not." Tommy mumbled. Sky and the twins turned to Tommy who was glaring at him half-heartedly even as Syd and Aimee fussed over him. "I told you before, I let her win."

Tommy struggled to sit up but Aimee shook her head no and pushed him back down, looking to make sure no one had seen his actions. "Let them think you're still unconscious." She whispered.

Nodding, he settled back down on the floor and allowed Syd and Aimee to continue to fuss over his injuries. He glanced up at the Tate men. "Besides, who was it that had to use a genetic shield cause his daughter was pounding on him so bad?" he whispered. The twins gaped at Sky who frowned down at the twinkling eyes of his father-in-law.

"Oh grow up you two!" Aimee hissed, "Piper kicked your asses, deal with it and move on." Bridge, Z, Jack, and Syd all snickered quietly as Tommy and Sky pouted.

"So…will no one face me? Or are all of Earth's so called _Defenders_, truly cowards?" Apate sneared.

"I'll face you."

Apate twirled around as everyone in the room gaped. Standing in the open doorway, holding the sparking remains of two blue-heads, was Piper. And standing just behind her were Eli, Claudia, Ella, and Alycia. The tall brunette threw the blueheads to the ground.

"This ends now, Apate. Let Nikki go." She demanded. Apate threw her head back and laughed.

"Are you serious? Why would I ever give this body up? Its so…" she paused, thinking. "Delectable."

Everyone close to the door scrambled back as the Quintes bodies began glowing. Within seconds the light surrounding them was so bright everyone had to shut there eyes and look away. Then it vanished and in the place Piper once stood was a beautiful, ethereal looking woman, glowing a soft gold. Behind her were others, each glowing in seperate colors and each dressed in armor. Apate gaped.

"It cannot be!" She whispered. The woman stared at her, eyes cold, as the four warriors walk calmly to stand on either side of her. Tyche glanced at the lone man and smiled softly.

"Good timing Prometheus." She smiled and he nodded back. Tyche turned back to the still gaping Apate. She slowly looked the other Child up and down and smirked.

"You know the main difference between me and you, Apate?" She asked, smiling. "I make this look good."

In the crowd, Tommy and Aimee both snorted as Bridge, Z, Syd, and Jack snickered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my daughter." Sky mumbled.

"SILENCE!!!!!" Apate screamed. Tyche simply stared at her as the crowd scrambled closer together and mouths snapped closed.

"A fancy new appearance does nothing! You will lose Tyche! And I will reign supreme!" Apate gloated. Tyche raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" She asked, nonplused. Apate smirked.

"Can you kill her, Piper? Can you allow an innocent to die?" She asked, and grinned when Tyche's expression went blank. "You can't. It's not within you to kill anyone, especially an innocent."

"Whoever said I'd be killing an innocent? You certainly aren't." She said quietly. Apate smirked.

"But in order to kill me, you have to kill my host. Nicole Harris. Pink Ranger. Daughter of evil." She sneered. Tyche frowned.

"Nicole is a good person who has been used by you Apate. She is not evil." Tyche spoke with conviction as she defended the pink ranger but this only served to amuse Apate.

"But she is! How do you think I was able to lie inside her? Her thirst for vengeance, for glory. It was potent and gave me the opening I needed." Apate grinned. "Do you know who her mother was?"

At this, Tommy started. "Oh no," He mumbled. "Don't you dare go there."

Apate glanced at him and smirked before turning back to Tyche. It completely escaped her notice that Cratus, Aneris, Dike, and Prometheus were moving around the room. "Oh yes, your precious grandfather knew. And he accepted her into the program anyway, convinced she could prove herself the better woman. That she wouldn't follow in her mother's footsteps. But she did, didn't she?" She asked.

Tyche's face remained passive even as Apate spate the truth.

"Nicole Harris' mother…was none other than the only female red ranger SPD has ever had." She sneered. "Charlene Harris, A Squad Red Ranger!"

Aimee started laughing. She couldn't help it. "Genetics don't matter. And Nikki's more than proven she's not her mother's daughter." She informed the woman. Both old and new B Squad nodded in agreement. Apate frowned, displeased her announcement had not received the shock she'd been hoping for. Tyche raised an eyebrow.

"You were born from immortal evil Apate. But for mortals, it is a choice, not a birthright. People _choose_ whether to be good or evil. Charlene Harris chose evil. Nicole Harris did not. The fact they shared the same blood and genetics does not matter. It is the choices we make that determine who we will become." She spoke calmly, as if this was a normal, every day conversation. Apate snarled and Tyche straightened, and the cold look was back in her eyes.

"Now, I think you've possessed that body for long enough." She informed her.

Apate laughed. "And how, pray tell, will you get me out? Excorsice me?" She asked mockingly. Tyche smiled and began to glow. Around the room, Aneris, Prometheus, Cratus, and Dike lunged forward and grabbed Apate's arms and legs. As Apate attempted to fight them off, Tyche rose from the ground and a wind began blowing her blonde tresses around her face.

Eddie Gates rushed to help Apate but found his way blocked by Thomas, Ian, and Trini. The orange and blue heads were held off by B Squad. The eleven current and former rangers knew without a doubt that whatever the five spirits were doing, they couldn't be interrupted. The cadets huddled to the far wall even as five colored individuals materialized in the room as Tommy stood up. Without a word, he morphed again and the cadets watched in amazement as the ninjette of old protected them from the advancing Krybots. Troy had disappeared.

Suddenly, without warning, Tyche thrust her hand into Apate's chest who began screaming. Glowing brighter than ever, she yanked a wriggling mess of black smoke from the Pink Ranger and threw it against the wall. Nikki collapsed to the ground, unmoving, as the black smoke formed itself into a new body.

"I am free! I am…stronger! Why, you have given me victory!!" Apate cried, even as she looked down at her new body. She was now tall, with long black hair and silver eyes, and she wore silver armor. Tyche smirked.

"I have done no such thing. In fact, I've weakened you." She informed her triumphantly. Apate cackled.

"And how, pray tell, did you do that?" She asked, even as Troy appeared behind Apate, his eyes filled with hate for the spirit who had possessed his girlfriend. In his hand was a stolen Krybot sword.

"I've made you mortal, vulnerable. Hurting you will no longer mean hurting an innocent." She told her calmly as a bloodied sword tip appeared in Apate's stomach. The Child of Darkness looked down in shock before collapsing to the ground. With a roar of rage, Eddie threw Thomas, Ian, and Trini off of him and lunged for Apate. Grabbing hold of her wrist, he and his mistress vanished.

Tyche looked around, the ninjette were still fighting valiantly, as were her protectors and the rest of B Squad. Anger filled her eyes as she saw a krybot slip past the ninjette and grab hold of a cadet.

"This ends now." She whispered and thrust her hands to her sides. A golden wave of energy flew from her body, crashing through the krybot army and turning them to dust.

And it continued throughout the base, until the only thing remaining of the once large krybot army was enough dust to fill a sandbox. Once the golden flow ended, Tyche stood straight and tall, panting from the exertion. Sky moved to her.

"Its okay. Let us take it from here." He told her gingerly. Tyche looked at him and shook her head.

"I have to do, three more things." She told him softly. "Then I can rest."

Sky nodded and stepped back. Taking a deep breath, she plunged a hand into her own chest, and, screaming, she pulled out a softly pulsing blue sphere. Smiling tiredly, she blew onto it softly and it shot into the air and disappeared through the ceiling. As everyone watched, she turned to Aimee.

"I give you back you're greatest gift." She spoke softly, raggedly, even as purple shards suddenly appeared in the air around her. Tyche held out a hand and the pieces began to slowly rotate. Tyche frowned.

"I must do this." She murmured even as Aneris, Cratus, Prometheus, and Dike walked up behind her and placed there hands on her shoulders. She seemed to gain strength from their touch and the pieces began spinning more widely. With a burst of light, they reformed into the Lunar Talisman once more. Aimee's stifled a cry as it landed in her hands.

"Thank you Tyche." Salene murmured as she appeared. Aimee's head snapped up and she stared at the moon goddess in shock. Smiling brillantly, Salene engulfed her warrior in a hug.

"Tyche has freed me from the astral realm forever. I am now free to flit around as I once did." She informed Aimee, who began crying. Salene wiped the tears away even as Sky came over, his eyes bright. Tyche turned to her protectors and they nodded. Smiling she turned to Sky.

"A gift I give to you." She murmured and a flash of light revealed Troy Tate, Sr. Sky's eyes grew wide.

"I'm not here for good. Not even Tyche can reanimate the _true_ dead." Troy told him as he stepped forward. Sky nodded, his eyes bright with tears as Troy engulfed him in a hug.

"I am so proud of you Schuyler. I have always been proud of you. You are the man I wished you to be." Troy told him, eyes suspiciously bright. Sky swallowed.

"I love you dad." He whispered. Troy smiled softly and kissed his forehead.

"And I love you. Give your sister my love?" He asked and Sky nodded. Troy hesitated a moment. "Tell your mother that I love her. I have always loved her and that I don't begrudge her. And tell Michael…tell Michael thanks and that he has my blessing. That he's _always_ had my blessing."

Sky trembled and nodded as he hugged his father one last time. Troy smiled at him. "Be seeing you." He whispered then faded away.

The room was silent for a few seconds before Sky turned to Tyche and her Protectors. Before he could say a word however, the five of them were engulfed in a bright light. It faded to reveal the crumbled forms of Piper, Eli, Ella, Alycia, and Claudia. Sky dropped down to Piper's side and was thankful to see her open her eyes weakly.

"How's Nikki?" She whispered hoarsely as the rest of the parents dropped down beside the kids. Sky glanced over and saw Troy holding Nikki's unconscious body. Troy, seeing his father's stare, nodded. He smiled and looked back down to her.

"She's fine." He whispered. Piper smiled, pleased, and fell into a deep slumber.


	29. Chapter 28

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Someone lives! Read to find out who. Also, this chapter kinda goes fast. And its short. Next chapter will be longer, I promise.

* * *

**Mal:**_ You think she'll hold together?_  
**Zoe:**_ She's torn up plenty, but she'll fly true._  
**Mal:**_ Could be bumpy. _  
**Zoe:**_ Always is._

* * *

It was several days later when the Quint's finally awoke. The five of them were grouped together in the medical wing, the adults all working around the base. Without knowing how, they instinctively knew the others were conscious. 

"That was incredible." Ella murmured.

"Amazing." Alycia added.

"Mind-blowing." Claudia agreed.

"Unreal." Eli put his two cents in. They all turned to Piper, who was staring up at the ceiling. She frowned.

"I'm hungry."

There was a pause before the four of them fell back against they're beds in helpless giggles.

"Seriously, I'm hungry!"

* * *

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Aimee asked a few hours later. Piper smiled around a mouthful of ramen. 

"Pretty good, actually. Sore." She added as an afterthought before eating some more. Sky snorted.

"With what you did? I believe it." He smiled. Piper smiled at him briefly before frowning.

"You know, I feel like there's something I'm forgetting, but I can't figure out what it is." She murmured, setting the empty bowl to the side. Aimee smiled down at her.

"It could be anything. You did some amazing things." She told her. "We are so proud of you by the way. So very very proud."

Piper smiled up at them brilliantly before her attention was drawn to the 12 people who had just walked in. With a gasp, she remembered what she, what she and Tyche, had done.

"What, what is it?" Sky asked worriedly. Piper just smiled up at him, her expression filled with wonder.

"I remember what Tyche and I did. Oh, we have to go!" She exclaimed, sitting up. Around her, Bridge, Z, Syd, Jack, Valerie, and Archie struggled to push Eli, Ell, Alycia, and Claudia back down. Piper swatted her parents away.

"We're fine! Tell them we're fine!" She demanded of Kat. The woman frowned but reluctantly nodded.

"They're in perfect health. Sore, but good. Nothing is amiss. I want to keep them overnight for observation—"she was cut off by Tommy, who'd seen the fervor in Piper's eyes.

"What is it sweetheart?" He asked. She turned to him.

"Where's Alpha?" She asked. Tommy frowned.

"You know, I have no idea. He disappeared during the siege." He realized. Piper smiled.

"I know where he is. We have to go. I can't wait to see your expressions!" She exclaimed and, despite her parents protests, jumped out of bed. She grimaced a bit and Tommy sighed.

"You're not walking. Get some hover-chairs." He ordered. Grinning, Piper sat down on the edge of the bed to wait.

* * *

Within an hour, Piper, Eli, Ella, Alycia, Claudia, Sky, Aimee, Bridge, Z, Syd, Jack, Valerie, Archie, Tommy, Kat, Kim, Jason, Billy, Katherine, Adam, Hayley, Rocky, and Aisha, had meet up with Tanya, Zack, Andros, Ashley, TJ, Cassie, Carlos, Justin, Zhane, and Karone at the rebuilt Command Center in the Angel Grove desert. Tommy looked around and swallowed. He turned to Piper who smiled softly at him. 

The large group was silent as they entered each of them somehow knowing what they were about to be faced with. As they came upon the doors to the central core of the Command Center, he felt, more than saw, the Quints and the children and wives fall back so that only the original 12 and the Space Rangers were left. Looking around, he could see the same hopeful expressions on everyone's face. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and the door whooshed open.

Tommy looked around, the hope now filling him so completely it seemed to be bursting through his very pores. The consols were humming softly, the energy tubes pulsing with energy, as Alpha's familiar shuffle could be heard. As the eighteen rangers walked down the ramp, Alpha turned around, the lights on his head whirling.

"Ai, ai, ai, ai, welcome rangers!" He cried. Tommy looked back and saw the wives, husbands, children, and grandchildren standing at the top of the ramp, keeping a respectable distance. He turned back to find Kim, Jason, Billy, and Zack staring up at the empty tube, pain and hope warring on there faces.

"Rangers." A soft voice whispered and the group whirled around. Tommy felt tears come to his eyes as the familiar form of Zordon walked-_walked!_-from around the tube. He stopped just in front of the group, smiling softly. "Welcome home."

* * *

Nearly three hours later, the Quints were back at the base with there parents. Tommy and the others had remained in Angel Grove, unwilling to leave Zordon. He and Piper had explained that when Zordon had been banished from this dimension by Rita all those years ago, his only link had been through the warp tube. When Andros had slashed the tube, it had released the energy Zordon used to retain the link but did not kill Zordon himself. Zordon could enter the astral realm much easier and had entered at the same time as Tyche was awakened. Tyche, seeing the need and the good within him, had taken Zordon's essence into herself and left it there until the time was right—when Piper and Tyche became as one and she would then have the power to return him fully to his rightful place. During the confrontation, Tyche and Piper had done what needed to be done. And Zordon was freed. 

"I didn't think I could be any more proud than I already was." Aimee whispered as Piper fell asleep that night. Next to her, Sky nodded.

Across the room, Nikki watched them silently as a lone tear fell down her cheek.


	30. Chapter 29

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee

**Story:** Inheritance

**Pairings:** Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…

**Author Notes: **Yay, Inheritance is finished!

* * *

**Simon:**_ River! River? Are you okay?  
_**River: **_I swallowed a bug._

* * *

"Piper, I have a question for you." 

The sound of her brothers voice in her quarters cause Piper to shriek and drop the pile of clothes she'd been about to fold. She turned to find Troy leaning against the wall, the door open and a few curious cadets watching and listening. Piper sighed and motioned for him to come in, which he did. As the door slid shut, she flopped on her bed.

"You want to know why you weren't told about Nikki?" She guessed. Troy had been suspiciously quiet since the attack on the base and she had known it was only a matter of time before he came to her.

"Actually, dad already talked to me about that. He said that he had meant to tell me but he never got the chance; Apate was keeping a firm hand on me." He replied. Piper sat up on her elbows and looked at him.

"Okay, so…what do you want to know?" She asked, confused. Troy frowned.

"If you could release Apate from Nikki, why didn't you do it sooner?"

Piper sighed and leaned back down. Staring at the ceiling, she collected her thoughts. "Honestly? I didn't know how or if it would even work. Eli mentioned it off handedly and…I guess I needed my powers so badly and wanted it to work so badly that everything else was over-rided." She paused. "Tyche is pretty powerful. I don't think I realized how powerful she was exactly until that day. I didn't know anything I'd been taught on the astral realm until, well, that day. Now I'm getting my memories back in bits and pieces."

Troy's lips twitched as Piper suddenly laughed. "What's so funny?" He asked. She turned to him, eyes bright with mirth.

"You're so much like your namesake it's insane. He's a big goof too." She told him. Troy grinned, absurdly pleased with that bit of knowledge. Her smiled faded, replaced with an expression of uneasiness. "Are we okay, Troy?" She asked tentively.

Troy flashed her a smile. "Always rugrat, always."

* * *

"You can't be serious." 

Nikki turned around, sighing. She'd known the moment she'd handed in her resignation that Piper wasn't going to be thrilled. And judging by the expression on the other girls face, she'd severely underestimated how angry the 1st year would be.

"It's for the best." Nikki told her as she went back to packing her belongings. Piper stepped into the room, the door sliding shut behind her.

"You're quitting. You're letting your team down." Piper replied. "How is that for the best?"

"They won't be put in danger cause I'm too weak to fend of evil!" Nikki yelled, suddenly losing her temper. Piper blinked.

"Who the hell said you were weak and when can I hit them?!" She demanded. "Cause they were dead wrong! You're one of the strongest women I know!"

Nikki laughed derisively. "Oh real strong, letting Apate take over like that." She sneered. Piper frowned.

"Apate…she could have chosen anyone. Why do you think she chose you? And none of this weak nonsense." Piper warned. Nikki scowled.

"I was an easy target, I was connected, I was already evil? Take your pick." Piper flinched at the self discrimination in the older girls voice.

"No. Because she knew I wouldn't be able to hurt you." Piper informed her. Nikki blinked.

"Huh?"

"Whatever you might tell yourself, you are not evil, you are not weak. Apate chose you because your heart has always been good, because you were a ranger. And she knew that when things came to a head, I wouldn't be able to kill you." She explained. Nikki still looked confused and Piper sighed.

"Have you noticed anything…odd, about me and Eli lately?" She asked, hiding the pain. Nikki frowned.

"Your way less lovey dovey, why?" She asked, confused. Piper looked out the window, her expression wistful.

"We got into an argument when we were deciding what to do during the attack." She explained. Nikki grimaced.

"Whatever it was, I'm sure it wasn't enough to tear you two apart indefinitely." She tried consoling the younger girl but Piper didn't smile.

"I told him to leave."

Nikki gaped, stunned. Piper had spoken so softly but the words seemed extremely loud in the suddenly cold room. "Why are on Earth would you do that? You two have always been inseparable!"

Piper turned to the former pink ranger and Nikki's blood ran cold at the other girl's words. "He wanted to sacrifice you to kill Apate and I wouldn't let him."

"What do you mean 'to kill Apate?'" She asked, her voice low. Piper's eyes glimmered with tears.

"It's why she chose you, Nikki. You were, are, an innocent. As long as she was a parasite, depending on a host to survive, she was extremely vulnerable. If the host was killed, she would die with her. She chose you because she knew that when the time came, I wouldn't be able to kill her if it meant killing you." She explained softly. Nikki just stood in the center of the room, stunned, as Piper got up and walked to the door.

"So you see, you're not evil or weak….you were convenient. She could have just as easily chosen someone else…Zippy, Kelson, my mom, granddad, Trini, Thomas…Troy. It had nothing to do with you as a person, but everything to do with my weakness." She whispered before slipping out the door.

* * *

"Tommy, may I speak to you about something?" Zordon spoke softly as the door closed softly behind him. Tommy looked up from his office desk, smiling warmly. 

"Of course, of course. Have a seat!" He grinned and then chuckled, never having thought he'd ever get to say those words to his mentor. Zordon smiled as well, knowing where his thoughts had strayed. He sat, robes arranged neatly. "It's about Tyche."

The happiness Tommy had been exuding faded as did his grin. "What about her?" He asked warily.

Zordon sighed. "You know of the prophecies, what Tyche must do, do you not?" He asked delicately. Tommy sighed.

"I do but I don't see why we can't have someone else do it, someone more….experienced. Damnit, Piper can't even control Tyche, how is she supposed to do what that stupid prophecy says she has to?" He demanded. Zordon frowned.

"Why do you do that? I've noticed Tyche does as well." He asked. Tommy blinked, startled by the sudden change in topic.

"Do what?" He asked confused.

"Refer to Tyche as if she is separate from Piper. She is not. They are one and the same." Zordon replied, still puzzled. Tommy frowned.

"But I thought they _were_ different…Tyche's like Cratus or Dike. A separate entity sharing Piper's body for a time….Right?" he asked, worried. Zordon's eyes widened and he slowly shook his head.

"No, they are not. Piper and Tyche are one in the same. Tyche is Piper and Piper is Tyche. It matters not what name they use—they are the same." He repeated. Tommy felt his stomach drop to somewhere around his knees.

"Then…When this is all said and done…Piper will be facing Apate…and she won't be able to get rid of Tyche?" He asked, fear laced in his voice. Zordon looked at him pityingly.

"No. Tyche is Piper and Piper is Tyche. She will have to face that reality eventually." The great mage paused before adding softly, "As will you and your children."

Tommy didn't reply as he gazed at the latest family portrait he had of the Tate family. Sitting on the settee, snuggling, were Aimee and Sky. Sitting on the ground in front of them were the twins in the middle with Paige on Thomas' side and Piper on Troy's. And lying directly in front of the twins were Luke and Leila. Piper was smiling brightly, shining in the presence of her family. Something within Tommy resolved as he gazed at his granddaughter. _Piper will survive_, he thought.

"She has to."

* * *

"So, you're coming back in a month, right?" Ella asked as they waited for the boarding call for the transport shuttle that would take Claudia back to Mirinoi for the summer. 

The smaller girl smiled. "It's all arranged. What about your parents?" She asked the girls. Alycia, Ella, and Piper exchanged grins.

"I overheard mom and Aunt Z arguing who was getting you for the first week—both seemed to think they should." Alycia told her. Claudia giggled. Piper rolled her eyes.

"I don't think they realize mom has already had me clean up my room in preparation of you coming." She informed the Mirinite. The girls all laughed as Eli, Troy, Thomas, Jon, and Kelson came up behind Claudia and engulfed her in a group hug. Claudia laughed and hugged them all back, one by one. The group settled down, talking and laughing as they waited.

Claudia's eyes found Alycia and Ella's and she smiled sadly when Ella glanced worriedly at Eli and Piper. They'd barely spoken since the argument and even now had several people in between them as they talked. It was saddening.

"Claudia?"

The small girl looked up and brightened. "Nikki!. Hi!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet to give the older girl a hug. The former pink ranger stiffened before awkwardly patted her back. Still smiling, she pulled back.

"I didn't think you were going to come." She smiled. Nikki shifted uncomfortably.

"I had to apologize before you left." She replied softly, avoiding Claudia's gaze. The soon-to-be second year blinked.

"But you don't have too!" She exclaimed. "It wasn't your fault; I don't blame you!"

Nikki shifted. "If I hadn't let her in, I--" she began but was cut off by Claudia.

"Not another word." The small girl said firmly. Surprised, Nikki looked up. Claudia's face was set, eyes hard. "I'm not going to accept an apology from you because you don't have to give one."

Nikki stared at the younger girl for a few minutes before slowly nodding, her shoulders relaxing a bit. Smiling, Claudia pulled Nikki down in between her and Troy, who immediately wrapped an arm around the former pink ranger's waist. She remained silent as the group talked but slowly, inch by inch, she relaxed.

When the boarding call came, Claudia hugged everyone, including Nikki. Ella, Alycia, Eli, and Piper were last.

"Keep an eye on them, will you?" She whispered as she hugged Alycia and Ella. Both girls nodded, understanding what she meant. She turned to Eli and gave him a quick hug, followed by Piper. Smiling brightly at the group, she picked up her carry on and headed for the shuttle. A few steps away from the door, she turned around and ran back.

"Two things." She whispered. She turned to Eli and Piper. "You two are being idiots. Deal with your issues or I'll be very cranky when I get back." She told them to the others delight. Eli and Piper glanced at each other uneasily. Claudia turned to Kelson and threw herself at him, kissing him square on the mouth. Kelson stumbled but eagerly kissed her back. Finally, Claudia tore herself from the blonde and picked up her bag, face a bit pink as the group stared at her in shock and amusement.

"Um….bye!" She squeaked before rushing to the shuttle. The group watched as the shuttle took off, waving. When the shuttle had disappeared from sight, the group turned to Kelson who smiled goofily back at them.

"I'm gonna date that girl when she gets back."

* * *

**End Notes:** Whew! Inheritance is finally finished! 

As always, thanks to all the reviewers and readers: **EnigmaForum**, **the real vampire**, **garnetred**, **Jordan**, **Tierra**, **Lauren**, **TricksterWolf**, **angellwings**, **BellaCordelia**, **DracoWolf88**, **general-joseph-dickson**, **Estel Kenobi**, **Carline**, **Lady-Payne**, **L123o123v123e123**, & **Silver-Mystic-Angel**! Your input and feedback helped me when I faltered.

Now, for a bit of news: I will not begin writing/posting Birthright, the sequel, until December, at the earliest. I need a bit of a break from the Heritage Universe before I begin the next fic. This doesn't mean I will stop writing all-together but until then, it'll be small fics, I doubt any will be longer than 10 chapters. (considers) Well, I might start diving into Dark Wings, but that won't be posted here cause if I do write it out, its gonna be Mature. That'll be posted at my LJ, if anywhere. And Aoife and I have been planning a massive Buffy the Vampire Slayer/PR crossover so I might start working on that. It'll all depend on how my classes go.

Again, thank you to everyone who's read, everyone's reviewed, and everyone who's left feedback. It's been fun!


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